Tension in Andhra town after YSRCP, TDP members clash

The TDP called for “Chalo Gannavaram” to its leaders and cadres on Tuesday to protest against the alleged attack by the YSRCP workers on the local TDP office on Monday evening.

Hyderabad A tense atmosphere prevailed in Gannavaram town of Andhra Pradesh’s Krishna district, on the outskirts of Vijayawada, on Tuesday following clashes between the workers of ruling YSR Congress party and opposition Telugu Desam Party on Monday evening.

TDP president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu alleged that the police remained mute spectators, when the YSRCP workers were indulging in vandalism and violent attacks on the TDP workers.

The TDP called for “Chalo Gannavaram” to its leaders and cadres on Tuesday to protest against the alleged attack by the YSRCP workers on the local TDP office on Monday evening.

Visuals released by the party showed the YSRCP workers ransacking the TDP office, damaging the furniture and setting fire to one of the cars of local TDP leader Donthu Srinu.

In his complaint lodged with Director General of Police K V Rajendranath Reddy, TDP president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu alleged that the police remained mute spectators, when the YSRCP workers were indulging in vandalism and violent attacks on the TDP workers.

Accusing local legislator Vallabhaneni Vamsi, who had defected from the TDP to YSRCP in 2019, of engineering the attacks on the TDP office, Naidu said the police had instantly arrested the TDP workers, when they tried to stage a protest demonstration.

Krishna district superintendent of police P Joshua said prohibitory orders were clamped under Section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code in Gannavaram and no permission would be given to any demonstrations or rallies. “If anybody tries to create disturbances to the law and order, stringent action would be taken against them,” he said.

Joshua blamed it on TDP official spokesman Kommareddy Pattabhi for the violence and said his intemperate and irresponsible comments against the MLA and YSRCP led to the breakdown of law and order.

The SP said cases were booked against TDP leaders under various sections for instigating attacks on the police leading to injury to Gannavaram inspector of police Kanaka Rao.

With regard to the attack on the TDP office, Joshua said the police were examining the closed circuit television camera footage and would register a suo motu case against those who took part in the attack.

The police arrested as many as 13 TDP leaders who were going towards Gannavaram as part of Chalo Gannavaram call. On Monday night, the police arrested Pattabhi and produced him before Gannavaram court on Tuesday evening. He was remanded to judicial custody.

The police said cases had been booked against more than 60 TDP leaders, including on Pattabhi under Sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 341 (wrongful restraining), 333 (voluntarily causing hurt), 353 (assault on public servant to prevent him from discharging his duty), 307 (attempt to murder), 448 (trespassing), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code.

The trouble began on Sunday with Pattabhi, in a press statement, accusing Vamsi and another MLA Kodali Nani of their involvement in a multi-crore marketing scam. He demanded that the role of the two MLAs in the scam be probed.

This led to the protests by the followers of Vamsi, leading to violent attacks on the TDP office on Monday evening.

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