Congress to decide on Telangana issue by October: Sources

Hyderabad: The Congress sources on Sunday evening said that the party will "definitely" decide on Telangana issue by October. This comes after activists held a march in Hyderabad demanding a separate state - Telangana.

Raising slogans of 'Jai Telangana' amid the beating of drums and singing songs by Telangana artists, men, women and children from various sections asked the central government to make Telangana a separate state.

The march, however, wasn't a peaceful one. Incidents of violence were reported from the Osmania University campus, Khairatabad and the Andhra Pradesh Secretariat. The demonstrators clashed with police, broke barriers and tried to enter prohibited areas as police lathicharged them, lobbed tear gas shells and used water cannons to disperse the crowds. Many private, police vehicles and OB vans were damaged in the violence and all regional news channels were blacked out in the city.

Raising slogans of \'Jai Telangana\', many activists held a march in Hyderabad on Sunday demanding a separate state - Telangana.

"Twenty to 25 policemen including an IPS officer have been injured. Four or five people got hurt in the lathicharge," said Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anurag Sharma.

The orders said that the rally would be held from 3 pm to 7 pm at the Necklace Road. But the Telangana supporters did not leave afterwards, braving rain as well as water cannons and tear gas.

Earlier in the day, six Congress MPs and party leader Keshava Rao were detained when they staged a dharna at the camp office of Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy as they were not allowed to meet him over the detention of Telangana supporters, who were on their way to Hyderabad to participate in the march.

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