IANS

Hyderabad, Dec 9: The Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh Tuesday remained tense amid widespread protests demanding statehood as the condition of Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao, whose fast unto death entered its 10th day, began to worsen.

Police forces including paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Rapid Action Force (RAF) and anti-Maoist Greyhounds were deployed in Hyderabad and other parts of the region and assembly of five or more people banned as protests by TRS workers, students, lawyers and other sympathisers of the movement continued.

Osmania University, the nerve centre of the movement for separate Telangana, here was tense as students were asked to vacate the hostels and messes were shut down to foil the students' plan to march to the assembly.

"We have not permitted students to take out the march on Dec 10," Inspector General and police spokesperson A.R. Anuradh said.

The Joint Action Committee of students announced that instead of marching to assembly, they would take out a "peace rally" up to Indira Park. Police, however, said the students would not be allowed to take out any rally.

Tension also prevailed at Kaktiya University in Warangal as the authorities asked students to vacate the hostels. The government has already announced all the universities and colleges in the region will remain shut till Dec 18.

There are no hopes of an early end to the stalemate though the ruling Congress party in the state has put the ball in the centre's court after an all-party meeting convened here Monday night on the direction of party president Sonia Gandhi.

In Delhi, Congress leaders Veerappa Moily and Ahmed Patel held series of talks separately with party MPs from Telangana, Andhra and Rayalaseema regions.

Moily, who is also in-charge of the party affairs in the state, told reporters that Telangana was a sensitive issue and no decision can be taken in haste.

Earlier, Chief Minister K. Rosaiah here said the central government alone could take a decision on the division of the state.

Meanwhile, KCR, as TRS chief is popularly known, has refused to call off his fast despite an appeal by the party and his family members and advice by the doctors.

TRS leader Nayani Narasimha Rao said that if anything happens to KCR, the Congress would be held responsible.

KCR is at the state-run Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), where doctors have warned that continuing the hunger strike could endanger his life. NIMS director Prasada Rao told reporters that KCR's blood tests showed signs of deterioration and asked him to immediately call off the fast.

However, the Mahabubnagar MP has made it clear that he would call off the fast only after the government gave a categorical assurance on carving a separate Telangana state. He was also ready to end the fast if the state assembly passed a resolution urging the central government to grant statehood to the Telangana region, which comprises 10 districts including Greater Hyderabad.

Demanding that the state assembly pass a resolution on Telangana, TRS members stalled the proceedings of the house the second day, forcing its adjournment till Wednesday without transacting any business.

The TRS has appealed to all Congress legislators from Telangana region to resign in support of the demand for a separate state.

Supporting the demand, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and activists, led by state unit chief Bandaru Dattatreya staged a sit-in at the main entrance of the state assembly. Police arrested Dattatreya, party legislator Kishan Reddy and several others.

A group of TRS workers also staged protests at the residence of state Health Minister Danam Nagender, protesting his demand for union territory status to Greater Hyderabad.

Stating that there could be no Telangana without Greater Hyderabad and raising slogans against the minister, TRS activists tried to barge into his house and clashed with the police and the minister's supporters.

At a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Monday, Nagender and his ministerial colleague Mukesh Goud from Greater Hyderabad had demanded that the city should not be included in a separate Telangana state. Instead, they proposed, it should be given the status of union territory in view of the large population of "settlers" from other parts of the state.