Police arrest Sharmila, taken to Hyderabad hospital

Hyderabad, Dec 11 (IANS) Hyderabad Police have arrested YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP) president Y.S. Sharmila, who was on indefinite fast, and shifted her to a hospital.

With the condition of Sharmila deteriorating, the police entered her residence at Lotus Pond in Jubilee Hills around 1 a.m. on Sunday and took her to Apollo Hospital.

Sharmila was on indefinite fast since Friday to protest against the denial of police permission for her Praja Sangram Padyatra.

YSRTP said Sharmila, who was on an indefinite fast since Friday morning, did not even consume water, which resulted in her health deteriorating rapidly.

Doctors from Apollo Hospital, who were earlier monitoring her health stated that Sharmila's blood pressure and glucose levels have fallen down to alarming levels, and expressed concern over dehydration which could lead to electrolyte imbalance, potent enough to pose danger to her kidneys.

Telangana Police forced the media personnel, party leaders and cadres to move away from the location before she was forcefully shifted.

The YSRTP leader had earlier made it clear that she would continue her fast till the police gave permission for the padyatra.

Sharmila was detained by the police on Friday after she sat on the fast at Dr Ambedkar's statue at Tank Bund in the heart of the city. She was dropped at her residence. She along with her supporters began the fast on a road near their residence. She was detained again and was forced to move into the house.

The YSRTP leader then started her fast in the house. Her mother also joined her in solidarity.

The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) workers had allegedly attacked Sharmila's padyatra at Narsampet in Warangal district on November 28.

Protesting against some remarks made by Sharmila against the local MLA of TRS, the protesters had set afire her bus and pelted stones on other vehicles. Later, police arrested Sharmila as she refused to call off the padyatra in view of the tense situation in the area.

Police had shifted Sharmila to Hyderabad. The next day, she was arrested again amid high drama while leading a protest march towards the chief minister's official residence. She was driving a car damaged in the attack and wanted to stage a protest in front of the chief minister's residence. The police, however, stopped her enroute. When she refused to come out of the car, the police towed it away to a police station.

The sister of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy later tried to resume the yatra from the same place but the police denied permission citing violation of the conditions laid down while granting permission earlier.