VIJAYAWADA: The police have arrested eight persons for the alleged attack on Allagadda MLA Bhuma Akhilapriya at Mandadam village in Krishna district on Thursday. Akhilapriya was on her way to the Secretariat at Velagapudi when some activists allegedly belonging to the YSR Congress party attacked her vehicle.
According to Thullur circle inspector U Sudhakar Rao, the police examined the CCTV footage and found that the accused had stopped the MLA’s car. He said that the legislator and her gunman also lodged a complaint following which they arrested D Gopi Naik, L Srinath, B Rajesh, M Rajesh and Ch Rajesh of Thullur, K Sudhakar of Velagapudi and D Pravin Kumar and PVP Datta Sarma of Venkatapalem on Friday.
“Despite restrictions imposed under Section 144 in Amaravati capital region, the YSRC activists took out a motorcycle rally and burst firecrackers. Further, we found that though many vehicles were passing by during the rally, the YSRC activists purposefully stopped MLA Akhilapriya’s vehicle,” he explained.
Akhilapriya complained that the mob of miscreants had started pounding the windshields of her car as if to break the glass and shouted loudly in an intimidating manner. The MLA’s gunman threatened to open fire to disperse the crowd.
On Thursday, the Thullur police, who managed to make way for her vehicle, said that Akhilapriya was not attacked but was only gheraoed by the crowd. However, top officials took the issue seriously and Guntur rural SP Naik himself inquired into the incident.
Based on the CCTV footage available at the junction, the police arrested the miscreants. In Kurnool, Akhilapriya took serious objection to the statements made by the YSRC leaders on the issue. “Instead of condemning such an attack on a woman legislator, the YSRC leaders are claiming that there was no attack at all and I was trying to defame them. YSRC chief Jagan Mohan Reddy has not responded to the issue.
Does that mean he has no respect for women and wants such attacks to continue?” she sought to know.
She also pointed out that if she wanted to politicise the issue, she would have done it by staying back in Vijayawada itself rather than seeking justice. SC Corporation chairperson Jupudi Prabhakar also alleged that some YSRC activists had tried to obstruct his vehicle in Guntur district. He demanded an apology from YSRC leaders for these attacks and demanded to know why women MLAs from YSRC were keeping mum on the attack on Akhilapriya.
Meanwhile, YSRC spokesperson Ambati Rambabu took serious exception to the allegations made by the TDP leaders against the Opposition party and stated that the ruling party leaders were resorting to mudslinging by exaggerating mere sloganeering as an attack on the MLA.
“A TDP MLA attacks government officers, while another TDP MLC bashes up tourism department staff. On Thursday, another TDP MLC used abusive language to get a fancy registration number for his vehicle. The Chief Minister might not dare question them, but we will not tolerate such political harassment,” he warned and dismissed allegations that YSRC activists had deliberately attacked Akhilapriya’s vehicle at Velagapudi.