VIJAYAWADA: Observing that miscreants and anti-social elements are encouraged by the lukewarm response from the government with regard to the temple attacks, TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu has charged that the police, instead of arresting the culprits, are harassinga opposition TDP leaders for seeking justice.
In a letter addressed to the Director General of Police (DGP) on Wednesday, Naidu said the police picked around 40 TDP leaders and moved them from one police station to another without even giving them food on April 6. “Only later in the night were they served notices under section 160. All the 40 people belong to four villages and command respect in their respective areas as they are former sarpanchs or contesting MPTC elections,” he said.
“While such notice itself is ridiculous, registration of cases against TDP leaders in Kuppam police station is risible. Additionally, TDP leaders who came to the police station to appraise the police about the gruesome happenings were also booked. Filing of cases against opposition party leaders for seeking justice is only reminiscent of the colonial raj,” he remarked.
Stating that the police lifted three more leaders of the TDP on Wednesday and kept them at Gudupalli station though the FIR was registered at Kuppam police station, Naidu said the actions of the police are only illustrative of the political vendetta being pursued by the ruling YSRC in connivance with a section of police officials. “Therefore, it is appealed to unilaterally release and remove false cases against TDP leaders, and make efforts to catch the real culprits.”