Lakhs of people took to the streets Friday at the start of a 72-hour shutdown in coastal Andhra and the Rayalaseema regions to protest against the creation of a separate state of Telangana, a day after the Union Cabinet set in motion the process of splitting Andhra Pradesh.
Simultaneous protests broke out in cities and towns from Srikakulam in north coastal Andhra to Anantapur in Rayalaseema. All state and national highways were blocked, schools, colleges, businesses and government offices were shut, and protesters attacked the homes of lawmakers, asking them to resign.
Tensions ran high in Vijayawada where thousands of students came out to protest against the UPA government's decision. Anger spilled on to the streets and massive protests were witnessed in Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam, Chittoor, Guntur, Anantapur, Kadapa and Kurnool.