Even as Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was busy offering gold ornaments worth Rs 5 crore to Lord Balaji at Tirupati, back home, the Hyderabad police were busy stifling dissent.
According to reports, more than 750 people were taken into custody by the city police on Wednesday for trying to participate in a rally called by the Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) over unemployment figures in the state.
The Hindu reported, that 447 were detained by the Hyderabad police, while 77 were detained by the Cyberabad police. The Rachakonda police took 230 people into custody.
Tension prevailed in parts of the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad as police arrested scores of students and their leaders.
Sporadic incidents of violence were reported from Osmania University, Nizam College, Secunderabad PG College and some other educational institutions as students staged protests to condemn the arrest of TJAC convenor M Kodandaram and other leaders and activists across Telangana.
Demanding their release, the students took out rallies, shouting anti-government slogans.
Defying prohibitory orders, leaders and activists of TJAC, opposition parties and student groups tried to march towards Sundaraiah Vignana Kendram and Indra Park.
TJAC had decided to go ahead with its rally from Sundaraiah Vignana Kendram to Indra Park in the heart of the city to demand that the state government must fulfill its promise of providing one lakh jobs.
The police had denied them permission, fearing violence during the rally.
Tension prevailed at Osmania University campus as police stopped students from taking out a rally. The protestors stoned police and the latter used force to disperse them. Some arrests were made.
A student tried to immolate himself near Osmania University Arts College. He was detained.
A sub-inspector of police was injured when students pelted stones at Nizam College in the heart of the city.
Students and leaders of various groups tried to lay siege to Kamatipura police station in Secunderabad, where Kodandaram and his supporters were detained.
As a precaution, the police arrested the TJAC leader from his house early on Wednesday and shifted him to the police station.
The Osmania University Joint Action Committee has called for a shutdown of educational institutions in the state on Thursday.
Police sealed all routes leading to Indra Park to prevent any gathering. Security was tightened on the roads around Sundaraiah Vignana Kendram.
The students alleged that the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) had failed to fulfill its promise to provide 1.07 lakh jobs.
Kodandaram was released on Wednesday evening at around 7 pm.
Charging the police with vandalizing his house and using undue force, he said that the struggle for justice for the unemployed in the state would continue.