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Overcoming the numerous hurdles placed by the administration, the Telangana protagonists sounded a warning to the governments at the Centre and the state that a decision on the statehood cannot be delayed.
Thousands of Telangana protagonists marched onto the Tank Bund here from different parts of the region, symbolising the success of the event, called by the Telangana Joint Action Committee to press for creation of a separate state.
Police detained thousands of people in villages and towns across Telangana in the last two days while state road transport corporation bus services as well as passenger trains were cancelled to prevent them from reaching Hyderabad.
The state capital too was totally sealed by thousands of police and para-military personnel since late last night, throwing normal life out of gear.
MLAs belonging to various parties, leaders of JAC, doctors, lawyers and others were arrested in a bid to foil the Million March.
In the end, the mammoth police force, which resorted to lathicharge, firing of teargas shells and other tactics ? had to contend with the surge of agitators whose main demand was that the central government immediately table a Bill in Parliament for the creation of Telangana state.
The March programme had its share of violence like physical attack on two Congress MPs K Kesava Rao and Madhu Yashki Goud besides destruction of some statues of Telugu legends located on the Tank Bund and damage to police vehicles.
President of Telangana Rashtra Samiti K Chandrasekhar Rao, his daughter Kavita, balladeer and Telangana Praja Front leader Gaddar were among the prominent leaders who took part in the March programme on Tank Bund where a pledge was administered to the assembled people that they would carry forward the struggle with the same vigour till Telangana state was created.
Yashki, Kavita, TRS MLA E Rajender, BJP leader G Kishan Reddy and others said the success of the Million March was a "clear slap" on the face of Kiran Kumar Reddy government which unleashed "unprecedented repressive measures" to foil the programme.
"The huge success of Million March only proved that no amount of repression can bury the genuine aspirations of the people of Telangana for a separate state. This is a strong warning to the Central government," the leaders said.
