VIJAYAWADA: Tension prevailed at Gollapudi near Vijayawada on Tuesday morning when both YSRC and TDP leaders created a flutter after former Irrigation Minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao tried to stage a hunger strike.
However, police foiled Devineni’s protest plan by arresting the former.
Devineni Uma was protesting against comments made by Civil Supplies Minister Kodali Sri Venkateswara Rao (Nani). He dared Nani for a debate on development activities taken up in the State in the last two years.
The incident happened around 10 am when Devineni Uma, who allegedly took shelter in a house nearby, walked towards the NTR Statue at Gollapudi One Centre and tried to stage a protest against the YSRC government. Noticing him, police rushed to the spot and took him into preventive custody.
Having learnt about the incident, hundreds of TDP and YSRC activists gathered creating tension in the locality. Police intervened to bring the situation under control and arrested Devineni Uma for violating prohibitory orders in place and took him to Pamidimukkula police station. He was later released in the evening.
Later in the day, Gannavaram MLA Vallabhaneni Vamsi, Mylavaram MLA Vasantha Krishna Prasad, Bapatla MP Nandigama Suresh and other YSRC party leaders reached the NTR Statue and performed ‘palabhishekam’ as a purification ritual.
Reacting to the incident, Police Commissioner Bathini Sreenivasulu said Section 30 of the Police Act and Section 144 of the CrPC was imposed in the city after the Gollapudi incident. He also said that no permission was accorded to any kind of rallies and public and political meetings.
Uma arrested, let off
Police arrested Devineni Uma for violating prohibitory orders in place under Section 144 of CrPC. He was later released in the evening.