Telangana heading for showdown over state exam

HYDERABAD - A showdown between Telangana activists and the Andhra Pradesh government appears certain as the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) selection tests will be held Sunday despite a Telangana shutdown being called by some students groups.

Four students of the Osmania University here Saturday launched a fast for indefinite period, demanding that the APPSC preliminary exam be postponed until 42 percent of the jobs at stake are reserved for the Telangana region.

The Osmaia University Joint Action Committee (JAC) has called for a boycott of the exam and a shutdown in the region Sunday. Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) and other groups fighting for a separate Telangana state have also supported the shutdown call.

Alleging injustice to Telangana, leaders of both the ruling Congress and the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in the region also have demanded that the state public service exam be deferred until the share of Telangana in Group I postings is made clear.

The APPSC, however, was going ahead with the exam as scheduled on Sunday at 445 centres across the state for recruitment of to 198 posts. More than 1.6 lakh candidates are expected to write the exam.

Police were making massive security arrangements for the smooth conduct of the exam and prohibitory orders banning assembly of five or more people have been imposed around all exam centres.

Director General of Police K. Aravinda Rao has asked all district superintendents of police to provide a three-layer security cover to the centres to prevent any untoward incident.

All the candidates have been asked to reach the centres well in advance.

Meanwhile, educational institutions in Andhra and Rayalseema regions remained closed Saturday in response to the shut down call given by some groups in support of the exam.

Telangana groups see a conspiracy behind the sudden decision of the APPSC to conduct the exam, which were postponed for two years. They have alleged that the exam was being conducted to recruit candidates from other regions without specifying the share of Telangana at time when formation of a separate Telangana had become almost certain.

They even warned the government of a bloodbath if it goes ahead with the exam.

TRS chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao has demanded the arrest and prosecution of APPSC chairman Venkatarami Reddy for doing injustice to Telangana in previous recruitments. He alleged that Telangana students who scored well in the written test were deliberately given fewer marks in oral tests to disqualify them from appointments.

The row has erupted close on the heels of an attack on lecturers of Andhra and Rayalaseema regions by Telangana students at Osmania University here. The students were protesting the valuation of B.Ed papers by teachers from other regions.