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Black balloons released near PM Modi’s chopper, 4 arrested: Police
Four Congress workers were arrested on Monday for releasing black balloons near the Vijayawada International Airport in Andhra Pradesh minutes after PM Modi’s chopper took off.
Four Congress workers were arrested on Monday for releasing black balloons near the Vijayawada International Airport in Andhra Pradesh minutes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s chopper took off -- an incident that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) flagged as a security breach.
The state police, however, said that there was no compromise on the PM’s security, the balloons were released about five minutes after the Mi-17 helicopter had left, and that the arrests were made for violating prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in and around the airport.
PM Modi landed at the airport located at Gannavaram in Vijayawada in a special aircraft, and shortly after flew to Bhimavaram in West Godavari district in the chopper to take part in the 125th birth anniversary celebrations of revolutionary freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju.
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G Pala Raju, deputy inspector general of police, Eluru range, said that five minutes after the chopper carrying Modi took off from Gannavaram airport, two other Congress workers, Rajeev Ratan and Ravi Prakash, climbed an under-construction apartment at Soorampalli, around 4.5km from the airport, and released some black balloons in the air.
“Though the balloons appear in the same frame as the chopper in photos, they were actually quite far away. By the time the balloons were released, the PM’s chopper had left the airport,” Raju added. “The balloons were burst by the police.”
A police team went to the spot and took Prakash into custody, while Ratan managed to flee. “We are on the lookout for him,” the DIG added.
“Around 8.30am, an hour before the arrival of the Prime Minister, three Congress leaders – Sunkara Padmashree, Parvathi and Kishore – were seen walking towards the airport with black balloons. The police identified them and apprehended them,” Raju said.
The workers were booked under sections 353 (using criminal force to deter public servant from discharging his duty), 341 (wrongful restraint), 188 (defying the orders issued by public servant) and 145 (unlawful assembly) of the Indian Police Code.
BJP state president Somu Veerraju described the incident as a conspiracy. “There is a big conspiracy behind the flying of balloons closer to Modi’s helicopter. We shall lodge a complaint with the Union home ministry on this incident,” he said in a statement.
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Earlier, the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee gave a protest call during the PM’s visit to the state to unveil the statue of freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju. The stir was to flag “broken promises”, including the grant of special status to the state.
In Rajahmundry, too, Congress workers led by party’s state unit president S Sailajanath held demonstrations and raised slogans against Modi, demanding that he fulfil promises made in the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014. Similar protests were also reported from Jangareddygudem town in Eluru.
