Hyderabad woke up on Tuesday to the sight of a city inching forward on fumes, not because fuel had run out, but because fear had taken over.

By late Monday night, the first signs of unease began to surface at a quiet petrol pump along Ramanthapur main road. On most evenings, the station serves a handful of customers at a time. That night, however, the trickle turned into a stream. Within minutes, motorcycles began clustering near the dispensers, autos lined up in a row, and cars spilled out on to the main road.

Situation outside a fuelstation in Tarnaka, Hyderabad at about 11.30 p.m of Tuesday | Video Credit: SIDDHARTH KUMAR SINGH