GUNTUR: Despite setting up a police picket at Pinnelli village in the district, situation remained tense as TDP and YSRC supporters clashed and lodged police complaints against each other.
In the latest bout of clashes, TDP supporters lodged a complaint with Guntur Rural SP R Jayalakshmi alleging that YSRC supporters ‘banished’ 70 families from the village for five years for voting for the yellow party and allegedly threatened the families of dire consequences if they attempted to enter the village.
The TDP supporters alleged that the YSRC activists had also attacked them with stones and sticks despite police presence. Hence, they demanded that an inquiry be launched and a permanent police post be set up in the village.
A police official, on condition of anonymity, said that sarpanch Sk Nanni had attacked YSRC supporters and registered police complaints against them, besides awarding road and development work contracts to TDP supporters, during the previous regime. He had allegedly expelled many families from the village in the past two years.
“After YSRC victory in the Gurazala Assembly seat, party supporters started verbally abusing Sk Nanni. The sarpanch sought help of other TDP supporters and lodged police complaints against the YSRC activists. However, elders in Pinnelli asked him to stay out of the village for a few days to defuse the tension besides police officials trying to pacify both the groups by conducting several meetings,” the police official said.
The village elders are now praying for rains in Palnadu region so that the attention of the farmers gets diverted to cultivation from the political clashes.
Permanent police outpost demanded
Accusing the YSRC activists of attacking them with stones and sticks despite police presence, TDP supporters demanded that an inquiry be launched and a permanent police post be set up in the village