Protests have taken place in the capital, Hyderabad Continue reading the main story Related Stories India opens Pandora's box India's 'Tiger of Telangana' feted India sets up new state committee A strike in favour of a new state in the Telangana region of southern India's Andhra Pradesh state has entered its 18th day. Some 800,000 protesting government employees have stopped work, leading to a shutdown of offices, schools and colleges. Public transport is off the roads and widespread power outages are being reported from the region. Andhra Pradesh saw violent protests for and against the proposal last year. With a population of 40 million, the proposed Telangana state comprises 10 of Andhra Pradesh's 23 districts, including the state capital and India's sixth most populous city, Hyderabad. Normal life in Hyderabad has come to a standstill on Friday after a fresh strike call by pro-Telangana activists, the BBC's Omer Farooq say