M A I N   N E W S

3 die, 180 hurt in AP violence

HYDERABAD, Aug 28 (UNI) — Three persons were killed and 180 injured, with 12 sustaining bullet wounds, when the police opened fire on three occasions as the ‘chalo assembly stir’ by the Congress and Left parties for withdrawal of the power tariff hike turned violent here today.

The police, however, maintained that only one person was killed. However, eyewitnesses said a fourth person was killed, besides two party activists and a police constable in the firing.

While a Left party activist was killed in police firing, the two policemen were killed in cross-firing.

The police lathi-charged the partymen who took out their “chalo assembly” march, defying prohibitory orders.

Many activists, perched on top of a flyover, pelted the police with stones in the busy Bashirbagh area as it tried to push back the agitators.

The police opened fire when the lathi-charge and the bursting of tear gas shells proved ineffective.

With the police and agitators engaged in a hand-to-hand combat, the area presented the look of a veritable battle field.

Scores of demonstrators, including women, who were injured in the lathi-charge were carried away by their colleagues.

Congress MLAs D. Nagendra and Sudhakar and 20 policemen were among the injured.

More than 20 road transport corporation buses were damaged in stone throwing by the protesters. The agitators also set ablaze at least a dozen vehicles.

A number of policemen were injured when stones were thrown at them. The protesters were seen taking at least four of their seriously injured activists into the nearby Nizam College. Later, the injured were rushed to Osmania General Hospital.

The police arrested scores of party workers. Even in the police van they raised slogans against the Chief Minister’s policy and demanding a rollback in the power hike.

A curfew-like situation prevailed in parts of the city, particularly in the vicinity of the state assembly.

Meanwhile, the Andhra Pradesh Assembly suffered two adjournments today as a vociferous main opposition Congress stalled proceedings demanding discussion on the power tariff hike and the havoc caused by heavy rain in the state.

In a related development, the 11-day-old indefinite fast by Congress and Left party MLAs in Andhra Pradesh, demanding a rollback of the power tariff hike, was called off today.