Lokesh stages sit-in at Visakhapatnam airport against arrest at Srikakulam

VISAKHAPATNAM/SRIKAKULAM: There was high drama at the Visakhapatnam airport on Sunday as TDP national general secretary Nara Lokesh staged a impromptu sit-in to protest against police action’s of arresting him without any notice. He continued his protest for almost four hours at the airport demanding a notice on preventive arrest as the Vizag police did not have jurisdiction on the issue.

Lokesh finally called off the protest at 6.40 pm after a police official from Srikakulam came to the airport and issued him a notice under Section 149. Speaking to the media before leaving Vizag, Lokesh said there was no law and order in the State. The police were blindly following the diktats of ruling party leaders. How could the police prevent them from meeting TDP workers, he asked.

Earlier, Lokesh was brought from Srikakulam to the V Convention Centre at Madhurawada by Srikakulam police after they took him into preventive custody. From the V Convention Centre, he was taken to the airport. The airport witnessed tense moments as large number of police were deployed in view of the TDP dharna. TDP activists also gathered at the airport in large numbers raising slogans against the police and government for arresting Lokesh illegally.

Speaking to TNIE, Visakhapatnam TDP urban president and former MLA Palla Srinivasa Rao said Lokesh questioned the Vizag police propriety in taking him into preventive custody without any notice. Since the issue was with the Srikakulam police, the Vizag police had no connection.

Almost the entire top police brass was at the airport and none of them had answered. Finally, they contacted their Srikakulam counterparts and a DSP came from there and served the notice. Lokesh was puzzled why he was brought to the V Convention Centre. The police said since it was in the itinerary of Lokesh they brought him to the V Convention Centre in Vizag, he said.

Earlier, tension prevailed at Kotha road in Srikakulam town when police detained Lokesh while he was proceeding to Palasa to express his solidarity to the party leader G Suryanarayana. Accordingly, the district TDP leaders had made arrangements and accorded a grand welcome to him at Pydibhimavaram. However, the Srikakulam police stopped Lokesh at Kotha Road and asked him to go back due to the law and order issues. Lokesh argued with DSP M Mahendra for stopping him.