Hyderabad: Days after police action against some of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) workers protesting against rising fuel prices, the party on Friday wrote to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), urging it to order a probe into alleged human rights violations of peaceful protesters in Andhra Pradesh.
In his letter, TDP Politburo member Varla Ramaiah asked the NHRC to take action against officials responsible for the “deterioration of law and order” in the state, ruled by chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSR Congress Party (YSRCP).
Ramaiah alleged that the state government and police violated people’s fundamental right to speech and expression. “They were suppressing all voices of dissent and scuttling democracy at every step. If the erring officers were not made accountable to their suppressive actions, they would cause further erosion of democratic values in the state,” read Ramaiah’s letter.
On August 28, TDP workers staged a protest against the rising prices of petrol, diesel, and essential commodities, and raised slogans against the state government and CM Reddy. Police arrested several workers of the opposition party at various places.
“Several FIRs were registered against TDP leaders in Kotabommali, Dendulur, Pulivendula and Bommanahal police stations. More FIRs were registered in order to threaten people from expressing their dissent in a peaceful manner,” Ramaiah said in the letter.
{{/usCountry}}“Several FIRs were registered against TDP leaders in Kotabommali, Dendulur, Pulivendula and Bommanahal police stations. More FIRs were registered in order to threaten people from expressing their dissent in a peaceful manner,” Ramaiah said in the letter.
{{/usCountry}}One of the TDP leaders to be arrested was former MLA from Denduluru seat Chintamaneni Prabhakar, who was reportedly taken into custody while he was attending a wedding.
Earlier, TDP national president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu also wrote to the state’s director general of police Gautam Sawang to release his party members. He claimed that the protests were held in a peaceful manner, by adhering to Covid-19 guidelines. He further claimed that the ruling party “unleashed” its police force to arrest TDP leaders, cadre and the general public.
The ruling YSRCP, however, dismissed the TDP’s allegations, saying law was taking its due course on this issue. YSRCP spokesperson and Denduluru MLA Abbaya Chowdary Kothari said Chintamaneni Prabhakar had staged a protest with 150 people and disturbed a government review meeting.
The ruling YSRCP is numerically in a strong position after it won 151 out of the state’s 175 assembly seats and 23 out of 25 Lok Sabha constituencies in the 2019 general and state elections.
Stating that Prabhakar has 74 cases registered against him for various offences, Kothari claimed the TDP leader has a history of attacking government officials, including police personnel.