Praja Rajyam Party chief K Chiranjeevi was arrested in Hyderabad on Thursday when he led a 'sit-in' in front of the Chief Rationing Officer's office here, protesting the state government's failure to check escalation of prices of essential commodities.

This was the first time ever that Chiranjeevi faced arrest and it was also the first time that he led a public agitation after turning a politician 11 months ago.

PRP senior leaders T Devender Goud, K Kala Venkata Rao, K P Reddaiah and others were also arrested on the occasion and taken to the Gandhinagar police station.

PRP Greater Hyderabad convenor Kattela Srinivasa Yadav was among the many party workers who sustained injuries when police cane-charged them. They were admitted to a nearby private hospital for treatment.

The PRP organised a state-wide agitation programme on Thursday demanding that the state government take immediate steps to check spiraling prices of essential commodities.

Chiranjeevi led the agitation in front of the CRO's office. Speaking on the occasion, Chiranjeevi came down heavily on the Y S Rajasekhara Reddy government for going into a deep slumber even as the prices of essential commodities sky-rocketed.

Lives of common people have turned miserable with the spiralling of prices. There is a 100 per cent increase in prices of all commodities and common people are finding it not only difficult but also impossible to purchase certain commodities at current prices.

People are perplexed as to what they should eat, Chiranjeevi observed.

As the PRP agitation threw traffic out of gear in the Secunderabad area, police resorted to a lathi-charge in which many party workers were injured.

They then arrested Chiranjeevi and other PRP leaders and bundled them into a DCM van and drove them to Gandhinagar police station.