Kanaganapalle police arrested Paritala Sriram, son of Raptadu Assembly constituency TDP contestant Paritala Sunitha, on Friday on charges of clashing with rivals during electioneering at Yelakuntla village of Kanaganapalle mandal on Wednesday and also obstructing the police from discharging their duties.
After arresting Sriram along with four others, police produced them before the Judicial First Class Magistrate court in Dharmavaram and the magistrate remanded them in judicial custody till May 16.
According to Kanaganapalle SI N Sivaji, a clash broke out between the TDP and the YSRC activists at Yelakuntla village on Wednesday during electioneering. Police asked Sriram, who came to take up campaign in the village, to postpone his campaign as the YSRC leaders were already campaigning there.
Ignoring the police appeals to help them maintain the law and order, Sriram and his associates went ahead with their campaigning which led to a clash with the YSRC activists. Sriram also allegedly prevented the police from discharging their duties, the SI said.
Following the incident, police filed a case against Sriram and four of his followers under IPC section 353, 427 and others. Sriram along with his four followers were detained at Ramapuram Cross on Friday and were produced before the court.
Taking strong exception to the arrest of her son, Sunitha blamed the YSRC leaders for trying to win the elections by foisting false cases against her son and other TDP activists and getting them arrested. “However, we will not be cowed down by such cheap tactics of the YSRC leaders”, she asserted. Sunitha said that she would soon file a bail petition in the court.