VIJAYAWADA: Traffic at Ramesh Hospital Junction and Guru Nanak Colony came to a screeching halt on Sunday afternoon after hundreds of supporters of the ruling TDP celebrated the oath-taking ceremony of Devineni Chandu, who was appointed president of the Telugu Youth wing of Krishna district recently.
A function was organised at Subham Function Hall in Ramavarappadu where Devineni took oath on Sunday. Supporters of local TDP leaders, college students and Devineni’s followers took out a bike rally from Gunadala Junction to the venue at Ramavarappadu.
They later shifted to Guru Nanak Colony. The youths were unstoppable as they vroomed around the lanes and bylanes of Guru Nanak Colony in high-end cars and motorbikes at breakneck speed. Some of the young riders performed stunts, kept shouting slogans hailing young gun Devineni, while some indulged in honking and burst firecrackers.Terrified people made way for the unruly mob to avoid danger. “All of a sudden, youngsters on bikes and cars entered in both the lines of the main road creating panic. They burst crackers blocking the main road. There were no policemen to bring the situation under control,” said PJ Kumar, a resident of Gurunanak Colony.
A senior citizen, who was frightened with the sudden show of strength, expressed fear and said there is no safety for the common people in Vijayawada. “With power in their hands, the supporters showed what they can do. Police should have acted and prevented them from entering residential colonies,” said Bhaskara Rao, who nearly had an accident while crossing the road at Gurunanak Colony.
However, police officials said permission for the bike rally was given from Gunadala to Ramavarappadu where the ceremony was conducted.
Deputy Commissoner of Police (DCP) Kranthi Rana Tata said he did receive any application for a rally but had no idea that it was being organised at Gurunanak Colony. “They (supporters) reportedly went to Autonagar via Gurunanak Colony to fill fuel. Upon receiving information about the rally, we alerted the duty police who regulated the traffic,” said the DCP Kranthi Rana.