Protests erupted in India after ruling coalition approved creation of new state

Protests erupted Wednesday in southeast India a day after the national ruling coalition approved the creation of a new state, leading to hundreds of arrests, police and reports said.

Protests were staged in the coastal and southern regions of Andhra Pradesh state against the creation of Telangana state, while a strike shut some schools and businesses, police and witnesses said.

Demonstrators pelted police with stones, injuring some officers, and damaged buses, at rallies in the district of Anantapur.

The street protests, which blocked traffic on main roads in the coastal and southern Rayalaseema regions, were largely peaceful, although police said over 500 people were arrested.