Protests continue in Telangana

The Telangana region remained relatively peaceful Friday though protests continued for the second consecutive day against the central government's move to put on hold the process of forming a separate state.
The all-party Joint Action Committee (JAC) withdrew its shutdown call in view of Christmas and most parts of Hyderabad and the nine other districts of the region were limping back to normalcy.
A group of students at Osmania University here and at Kakatiya University in Warangal, however, continued their fast-unto-death, demanding that the central government immediately initiate the process for forming a separate Telangana state.
Additional forces, including paramilitary forces, airlifted from other states were deployed at Osmania University and other parts of Hyderabad and the region to maintain law and order.
Shops and business establishments re-opened in the state capital but most petrol stations remained closed. The state-owned Road Transport Corporation (RTC) partially restored bus services here and in other parts of Telangana.