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20 farmers, six cops injured in ‘Chalo Assembly’ rally at Amaravati
Guntur (Rural) Superintendent of Police Ch Vijaya Rao said six police personnel were also injured in the clash and in the stone pelting by the protestors who were attempting to storm the state assembly in violation of prohibitory orders imposed under Section 144 of the CrPC and Section 30 of the Police Act.
At least 20 people were injured when thousands of farmers from Amaravati, the capital region of Andhra Pradesh, clashed with the police, who resorted to lathi charge when they tried to lay siege to the state assembly complex at Velagapudi in protest against the shifting of the state’s executive capital to Visakhapatnam on Monday.
The three-day special session of the assembly commenced at 11 am to pass two crucial bills – one to repeal the AP Capital Region Development Authority Act 2014 aimed at developing the capital city at Amaravati and second to create three capital cities for the state with the executive capital at Visakhapatnam.
Guntur (Rural) Superintendent of Police Ch Vijaya Rao said six police personnel were also injured in the clash and in the stone pelting by the protestors who were attempting to storm the state assembly in violation of prohibitory orders imposed under Section 144 of the CrPC and Section 30 of the Police Act.
The farmers of Amaravati, who have been agitating for the last 34 days under the umbrella of the Amaravati Joint Action Committee (JAC) against the shifting of the capital, called for a “Chalo Assembly” rally on Monday.
The JAC leaders called for a shutdown on Tuesday in protest against the passage of the bills. “We shall continue our struggle till the government withdraws the bills and restores the capital city at Amaravati,” JAC leader S Satynarayana said.
The SP said the police had made tight security arrangements at the state secretariat and assembly in view of the ongoing assembly sessions. “We have not given any permission for the farmers to take out a “Chalo Assembly” rally. Yet, a large number of protesters tried to barge into the Secretariat and assembly complex,” Rao said.
Notwithstanding the unprecedented security arrangements, the farmers of Amaravati, including a large number of women, from Thullur, Rayapudi, Pedaparimi, Mandadam, Venkatayapalem, Krishnayapalem and other villages, marched towards the Secretariat-assembly complex from all sides.
The police forces deployed in the villages tried to prevent the agitating farmers from going ahead by putting up barricades and iron fencings, but they could not prevent the protestors from marching ahead towards the Secretariat.
The police resorted to lathi charge to disperse the surging crowds, resulting in injuries to a few protestors. Some of the women protestors fainted during the clash with the police and the angry mob pelted stones at the police.
The Guntur SP, however, said the police maintained utmost restraint in preventing the breakdown of law and order. “We only tried to restrict them using ropes and barricades. We did not use any force,” he claimed.
After hours of tension, the police managed to bring the situation under control by arresting hundreds of protestors, including women, and shifting them to various police stations. “They were confined in a function hall at Pedakakani village,” the SP said.
In the morning, the police made preventive arrests of more than 800 leaders of the Telugu Desam Party and Amaravati JAC, besides keeping nearly 60 TDP leaders under house arrest.
An unprecedented clampdown was imposed in 29 villages of Amaravati, as the police did not allow the farmers to come out on the streets to register their protests. Massive security arrangements were made around the Secretariat and Assembly complex at Velagapudi with over 2,500 police.
South Coastal Zone-Guntur range Inspector General of Police (IGP) Vineet Brijlal said instructions had been issued to all SPs and officers to take all measures to ensure the smooth conduct of the assembly session and safety of the members and see that there was no breakdown of law and order.
The police served notices to TDP leaders and farmers not to stage any protest on the road leading to the Assembly as prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC and Section 30 of the Police Act were in force.
Police forces from various wings including special police parties, Octopus teams, dog squad, bomb disposal squad and intelligence security wing were pressed into service. Drones were used to identify people who were planning to come out in large numbers in protest.
TDP president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu strongly condemned the preventive arrests and house arrests. “The detention of the leaders of the TDP and JAC is a cowardly act,” Naidu asserted and demanded that the arrested leaders be released unconditionally.
