YSRTP Chief YS Sharmila started a hunger strike at Tang Bund Ambedkar Statue on Friday to protest the denial of permission by Warangal police to continue her statewide padayatra. However, she was removed from the site and detained by police.
Before being detained, YS Sharmila told ANI that Telangana Chief Minister KCR was trying his best to stop her padyatra. "My bus was burnt, my people were beaten up and they accused me for violence. Later they arrested me and took me to Hyderabad. Next day, court granted permission to do padyatra but police isn't allowing us," ANI quoted Sharmila as saying.
"I am sitting here on hunger strike demanding democracy to be protected in Telangana and that I will be allowed to do my padyatra" she further said.
Earlier, Warangal police had served a showcause notice asking Sharmila to explain why the application for permission of padyatra should not be rejected as the conditions laid down while granting permission earlier were violated.
Reacting to this, Sharmila said a legal reply would be submitted to the Warangal police. She said if the police failed to give permission for the resumption of padyatra, the party would fight a legal battle.
She had planned to resume her march from Lingagiri Cross in Narsampet, where the padyatra was stopped following an attack allegedly by workers of ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) on November 28.
Protesting against some remarks made by Sharmila against an TRS MLA, the agitators had set her bus on fire and pelted stones on other vehicles. Later, police arrested Sharmila as she refused to call off the padyatra in view of the tense situation in the area.
Police then shifted Sharmila to Hyderabad. The next day she was arrested again amid high drama while leading a protest march towards the chief minister's official residence. She was driving the car damaged in the attack and wanted to stage a protest in front of K Chandrasekhar Rao's residence. The police, however, stopped her enroute. When she refused to come out of the car, the police towed it away to a police station.
(With inputs from agencies)