ONGOLE: Tension prevailed for a while at the Maha padayatra being taken out by the farmers from Amaravati region with the police resorting to lathicharge at Chadalawada village in Prakasam district to stop local people from joining the walkathon.
When the yatra reached Chadalawada, people from nearby villages tried to join it, but police barricaded the entry points of the villages. Several villagers tried to force their way to take part in the rally. Police said the High Court issued guidelines stipulating that the number of participants in the yatra should not exceed 150.
The local people, however, did not pay heed to the police warnings and tried to move ahead, forcing police to use mild force. A youngster, B Nagarjuna from Chirvanuppalapadu village, reportedly suffered minor injuries on his hand. Another person also suffered minor injuries. The JAC leaders shifted them to a nearby hospital immediately.
Meanwhile, with the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) coming into force after the notification for elections to Member of Legislative Council (MLC) was issued, the police tried to stop political leaders and people’s representatives from joining the padayatra.
TDP MLAs Gottipati Ravi Kumar and Yeluru Sambasiva Rao were placed under house arrest. Meanwhile, the padayatra continued from Duddukur and reached Mukthinuthalapadu village, covering 14 kilometres.
TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu condemned the lathicharge and tweeted, “The right to protest is a cornerstone of constitutional democracy. I strongly condemn the brutal violence unleashed by @APPOLICE100 against peacefully marching farmers in the Prakasam district today. The TDP stands firmly with the farmers.’’
YSRC MLA TJR Sudhakar Babu alleged that Chandrababu Naidu was behind the yatra which he said was being taken out for protecting the vested interests of the TDP and not for the sake of farmers. “Naidu should be ashamed of using Amaravati farmers for his political gains,’’ he criticised.