GUNTUR: The Guntur police foiled ‘Chalo Haailand’ protest staged by AgriGold victims and, supported by Left parties and the YSRC, on Wednesday and arrested 266 agitators. They were shifted to CSR Kalyana Mandapam of Tadepalli and Nallapadu police station. CPI State assistant secretary M Nageswara Rao, AgriGold Victims’ Welfare Association honorary president M Nageswara Rao and AP Intellectual Society president Chalasani Srinivas were among those arrested.
CPI State secretary K Ramakrishna, CPM State secretary P Madhu and YSRC Guntur Parliament coordinator Ravi Venkataramana and others flayed the police action. Earlier, the victims demanded immediate disbursal of Rs 1,000 crore by the State government to repay deposits to AgriGold victims.
Ramakrishna said: “We will organise a public meeting on December 2 in Vijayawada. We will also protest in front of the Parliament for fulfilment of all promises as mentioned in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. We will intensify our agitation if the government does not disburse `1,000 crore to AgriGold victims before November 23.”
Venkataramana said the TDP government was trying to suppress the stir by using police force. He demanded that the government auction AgriGold properties to reimburse deposits to victims.AgriGold Customers and Agents Welfare Association State general secretary V Tirumala Rao said, “It is nothing but a ‘Dharma Poratam’. The government is trying to suppress the protest by using police force.”
Urban SP Ch Vijaya Rao said the police left the arrested persons at the Guntur railway station and bus stands after releasing them. “We have taken all necessary steps to maintain law and order in the urban district limits,” he said, and appealed to all those affected to wait for the court verdict.