CHITTOR: Total number of arrests in the Punganur violence has risen to 72 as the Chittoor police on Monday held nine more individuals. However, Challa Babu, TDP’s in-charge in the constituency, and accused number 1 in the case, remains at large.
The police department has deployed six teams to nab Challa Babu, who is believed to have played a pivotal role in orchestrating the violence. According to ASP K Srilakshmi, the violence unfolded during TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu’s visit to Annamayya and Chittoor districts.
“While Naidu was originally scheduled to take a bypass road, the TDP cadre diverted from the scheduled route in an attempt to enter Punganur town after learning that the YSRC activists were protesting against Naidu. Police prevented the yellow party leaders from entering the town, which resulted in clashes between them,” she added. The police officials revealed that Challa Babu had allegedly formulated a plan to facilitate Naidu’s entry into Punganur.
He reportedly instructed TDP workers to attack the police, if they attempted to prevent Naidu’s entry. The district police have intensified efforts to track down TDP in-charge Challa Babu. Investigators have been gathering evidence, including CCTV footage from the check post situated on the AP-Karnataka border, and collecting details on the movements of TDP cadre from Anantapur, Bengaluru, and Rayachoti on the day of violent clashes to unravel the sequence of events.