Telangana bandh called on September 5

Breaking the lull in their agitation, the pro-Telangana activists have called for a strike on September 5 to stall the Group I preliminary examinations of the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission.

The bandh call has been given by the Osmania University Students Joint Action Committee to press its demand for a quota for the Telangana region in Group I jobs of the state government.

Their stand is being supported by the Telangana Joint Action Committee, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti and several other organisations.
 
TRS president K Chandrasekhara Rao and TJAC convenor Professor Kodanda Ram have demanded that 40 per cent jobs of Group I should be earmarked for candidates from Telangana.

Pro-Telangana organissations have also demanded the resignation of APPSC chairman Y Venkatrami Reddy, as he was facing a probe in charges of corruption and favouritism.
 
The OUJAC has threatened that if the APPSC tries to go ahead with the examination on September 5, they will lay a siege to all the examination centres and tear the question papers.

Giving a shot in the arm to the agitation against Group I exam at this stage, 11 Congress MPs from Telangana region have sent a letter to Chief Minister K Rosaiah, seeking his intervention and postponement of the exam by two months.

They said that as the students of Telangana region were busy with the agitation for a separate state and could not prepare for the exam, it should be held after two months.
 
The examinations are being held to fill 198 Group I posts in the state but as many as two lakh students have applied to appear in the exams.
 
In view of the developing confrontation between the students and the APPSC, the police have decided to impose prohibitory orders outside all the examination centres on September 5.