Hyderabad, Oct 28 (IANS) Activists of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) Wednesday courted arrest here to protest a recent Supreme Court order declaring Hyderabad a free zone for police recruitment.
TRS president K. Chandrasekhara Rao, senior leaders and scores of party workers were arrested by police at Indira Park here as they tried to take out a rally demanding that the government take steps to bring a constitutional amendment to revoke the court order.

The apex court’s order overturned the earlier practice of reserving government jobs for the residents of Telangana region.

Alleging that the implementation of free zone would deny jobs to locals in the police department, the TRS had given a call for ‘jai bharo’ across the region.

After a public meeting at Indira Park, TRS leaders tried to take out a rally but were stopped by police. Tension prevailed as the protestors tried to advance and police used mild force to control them.

Policemen lifted Chandrasekhara Rao and other leaders and put them in a waiting police vehicle.

They were taken to Goshamahal police station in the city but on the way they got down and sat on the road at police control room to stage a protest. They were again picked up by police.

Raising slogans of ‘jai Telangana’, the TRS president, party legislators and other leaders courted arrest in Hyderabad and the remaining nine districts of the region.

There were also reports of minor incidents of violence during the protest, which is being seen as an attempt by TRS to revive the movement for separate statehood to Telangana.

KCR, as the TRS chief is popularly known, announced that he would launch fast unto death in the last week of November to demand separate state of Telangana.

TRS party leader in the state assembly E. Rajender was among 400 party leaders and activists arrested during protest in Karimnagar.

KCR’s son and party legislator K. Tarakarama Rao was arrested in Mahbubnagar. Another party legislator Harish Rao was arrested in Siddipet in Medak district.

TRS workers indulged in violence at Kamareddy town in Nizamabad district breaking the window panes of a government office. Police arrested legislator Ravinder Reddy and others.

In Warangal, TRS legislator Vinay Bhaskar alleged that hundreds of people, especially students, coming to participate in programme were arrested by the police. He alleged that the police resorted to indiscriminate arrests under pressure from the ruling Congress party.