UNDER BABASAHEB'S GUIDANCE: Mala Mahanadu president J. Prabhakar Rao demanding justice for Malas after launching his fast in Hyderabad on Wednesday. - Photo: Mohd. Yousuf

HYDERABAD: A heavy security screen and unprecedented safeguards by the Hyderabad police forced Mala Mahanadu president and MLC J. Prabhakar Rao to shift the venue of his indefinite hunger strike here on Wednesday.

Mr. Rao wanted the Government to give up its "anti-Mala move seen in Scheduled Castes categorisation." Two days ago, the Mala Mahanadu leader had announced, accompanied by State general secretary Y. Ramulu and city president G. Chennaiah, that he would launch his fast near Ambedkar statue on Tank Bund.

Based on the announcement, police swung into action, putting in place a riot squad and water cannons under the watchful eye of Deputy Commissioner Iqbal.

The leaders and police played hide and seek. Virtually hounded, Mr. Rao decided to shift his venue to a solitary locked-up room in a bylane in Khairatabad, to prevent police from arresting him.

Over one hundred mahanadu activists threw a security cordon around their leader, as he sat in the room with his colleagues below a picture of Babasaheb Ambedkar.

He told presspersons that their prime demand was scrapping the Usha Mehra Commission and setting up of a one-man committee headed by former IAS officer S.R. Sankaran to study the socio-educational-economic status of SCs.

Drop moves: Rao

Mr. Rao said the Government should give up moves on categorisation of SCs and tender an open apology to Malas as it violated the Supreme Court judgement.

"We will give up our agitation if Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy or his envoy comes to our hunger strike camp for discussions," he said.

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