A timeline of "Chalo Hyderabad"

The mega march christened "Chalo Hyderabad" by a cluster of political organizations seeking a separate Telangana state, saw an hour by hour build-up of events.

9: 00 AM : The city police threw a heavy security blanket around Hyderabad fearing violence during the March and the meeting that converges at the P.V. Narasimha Rao Ghat on Necklace Road from 3 pm on Sunday. All roads leading to Sanjivayya Park on Necklace Road were heavily barricaded. Police forces fanned out ready to obstruct Telangana activists at all entry points.

10.30 AM:  Heavy security arrangements are in place at the Osmania University to ensure that no untoward incident occurs due to the proposed march, which is expected to witness a huge turnout.

11: 15 AM: Students, who wanted to take out a rally, were stopped by police at the main gate of the campus.Raising slogans of 'Jai Telangana', the students removed barricades and pelted stones at the police personnel. Although police fired teargas shells, hundreds of students were still present on the campus, determined to take out a rally. Police said that permission was given only for the march at the Necklace Road and that they would not allow any other rally.  11: 45 AM:  The Osmania University became tense as violence erupted on the campus in the morning. The police resorted to lathi-charge and firing of tear gas shells after students tried to break the security cordon. Just hours before the scheduled Telangana march in Hyderabad, the situation became tense in many places.

12: 00 PM:  Telangana activists from various parts of the region and neighbouring districts started reaching the venue on the bank of Hussain Sagar lake in the heart of the city since Sunday morning. Barricades were put up at several entry points to the city and preventive arrests were carried out. The police claimed that  hidden cameras had been placed all over the city to keep an eye on anti-social elements.

More than  2,000 students from other universities including Kakatiya and Telangana reach the campus and try to take out the rally. Students enter into an argument with the police asking them why they were being stopped when the government had given permission for the march.

12: 45 PM: Following a "Chalo Hyderabad March" call given by the TJAC, several  T-Congress MPs  and workers gather around the CM's camp office in the afternoon, and are arrested.
They raised slogans against the government, and  the Kiran Kumar Reddy's indifferent attitude in resolving the Telangana issue. They had a heated argument with the security personnel when they were prevented from barging into the CM's camp office. Sensing that the situation was going out of control, the police arrested them.   1: 05 PM : Thousands gather at the venue by noon where leaders of the separate statehood campaign are to address the protesters during the four hour meeting.

The Telangana activists  who gathered for the meeting are also preparing to stay on at the venue well beyond 7 p.m

1: 30 PM: Armed personnel from Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) para-military force were deployed at the chief minister's camp office in Begumpet when the Congress MPs and their supporters reached there again after their release.
They squatted on the road as the police refused them permission to go inside the chief minister's residence-cum-office to meet him. The eight MPs were bundled into police vehicles and taken away.

1: 45 PM: Senior Congress minister K. Jana Reddy spoke to Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy over phone to lodge his protest over the government not keeping its word on allowing the peaceful march. He said the time had come for the ministers from the region to decide whether for them the posts were important or Telangana.

2: 10 PM : Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha announced, "We are ready to resign for the cause of separate Telangana." He was reportedly irked by the government's behavior with respect to Telangana leaders and activists and their arrests in several places.

3.00 pm March begins......

- Siva@sakshipost