Fast effect: 135 cases against Telangana protestors withdrawn

PTI

Hyderabad, 27 December 2010: The Andhra Pradesh government on Monday agreed to withdraw 135 cases against 834 persons involved in various agitations demanding the formation of a separate Telangana state, even as 11 Congress MPs launched a hunger strike on the issue.

This is in addition to the 565 cases already being withdrawn against 2437 accused, State Textile Minister P Shankar Rao said.

 
The government took the decision to withdraw more cases today following a meeting held by Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy with five of his cabinet colleagues from Telangana, including Home Minister P Sabita Indra Reddy.

The Congress MPs, MLCs and MLAs today launched a hunger strike seeking unconditional withdrawal of all cases filed against students and other protesters.

 
In all, 1667 cases were registered against more than 8,400 persons in connection with the statehood agitation in all the three regions of the state between December 2009 and September 2010.

The state government announced in the State Assembly during the recent winter session that 565 cases that were non- serious like staging rasta rokos, violating prohibitory orders disfiguring statues were being withdrawn. While those serious in nature like burning of pubic and private properties were being reviewed.

However, political parties like Congress, TDP, TRS have demanded that all cases be withdrawn unconditionally, but the government turned down the demand.

Formal order related to withdrawal of cases will be issued soon, official sources said.