GUNTUR: Stray clashes between TDP and YSRC supporters continued in some places of Guntur district even on Friday, a day after the polling was held in the State. Cases were registered at four different places, where clashes took place.
Tension had prevailed in some villages in Gurajala, Narasaraopet and Chilakaluripet Assembly constituencies where the TDP and YSRC supporters attacked each other after completion of polling on Thursday. The TDP and YSRC activists clashed at Gurajala, Julakallu, Tungapadu and Irlapadu villages in different constituencies. TDP activists pelted stones on Satyanarayana Theatre run by YSRC leaders, who in turn pelted stones on the TDP group at Gurajala.
The police resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the clashing groups. Further, they deployed additional force to restrain people from indulging in untoward incidents in the rural town of Gurajala. A group of YSRC activists, as per reports, attacked a woman, who did not exercise her franchise at Jullakallu in Piduguralla mandal of the same Assembly segment. TDP activists lodged a complaint with the police and later as a retaliatory measure, they also pelted stones on YSRC activists.
Both these groups clashed against each other again in the early hours of Friday. Damacherla Vasu, Damacherla Dhanunjay and Damacherla Nagarjuna of YSRC were injured in the incident. All the injured were taken to a private hospital.
Sattenapalli DSP V Kaleshvali Rao rushed to the spot, along with Piduguralla urban CI P Veerendra, and brought the situation under control. Additional force was deployed to dissuade people from being party to untoward incidents and people were warned that the police would take stern action against anti-social activities in the village.
A villager said that YSRC activists carried out an attack on a TDP worker. As a result of this, a group of 20 TDP activists attacked YSRC supporters while they were having tiffin at a hotel at Julakallu. Four persons were injured in the incident and were immediately shifted to hospital. Meanwhile, TDP and YSRC groups clashed at Irlapadu of Chilakaluripet Assembly constituency. The YSRC activists carried out an attack on TDP cadre on Thursday night and two persons sustained minor injuries and they lodged a complaint with the police. After complaining to the police, the TDP activists too attacked YSRC men in retaliation.
As the TDP attack news spread among the villagers, the YSRC activists confronted the TDP men and both the groups clashed with each other. Chilakaluripet rural CI S Vijaya Chandra with police force reached the spot after coming to know about the incident through locals, but both the TDP and YSRC activists had fled. So, the police started investigation by registering a case and shifted the injured to Narasaraopet government hospital.
Further, TDP activists attacked YSRC leader G Venkatesh, who monitored the polling process for the party as a agent at Tungapadu in Narasaraopet segment as the TDP leaders tried to drag him out of the booth, but he foiled the TDP bid and went about his work on Thursday. So, the TDP workers again tried to carry out an attack on him, but the police prevented them by using force.
The TDP activists carried out an attack on him and his relative Haribabu, so the YSRC activists attacked TDP cadres in the village. The police booked cases against both the parties. According to Rompicherla Sub-Inspector S Venkata Rao, TDP activist Sivanagaraju and YSRC workers G Hari Babu and G Venkatesh were injured in the clashes and cases were registered against both the groups.
The TDP leaders lodged a complaint on behalf of party candidate Dr Ch Aravinda Babu, who got injured at Uppalapadu village in Narasaraopet Assembly segment.
YSRC sitting MLA Dr Gopireddy Srinivasa Reddy also lodged a complaint against TDP leaders, who tried to occupy the polling booth by kidnapping YSRC agent at Srinivasa Girijana Colony of Narasaraopet.The district Superintendent of Police appealed to the political leaders not to visit the villages due to the prevailing tense situation.
He stated that normalcy will soon return in the villages as the clashing groups will turn calm. The SP said that the police had already deployed additional force to restrain anti-social activities in the villages, so the leaders should cooperate with the police in maintaining law and order.