VISAKHAPATNAM: Senior TDP leader Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy was arrested from his residence at Vennalapalem in Parawada mandal of Anakapalle district on Monday allegedly for passing derogatory remarks against Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and tourism minister RK Roja.
High tension prevailed in the village since Sunday night as a large contingent of police from Guntur and Pendurthi reached the TDP leader’s house. Amid high drama, police broke open the doors of Murthy’s residence on Monday evening even as a number of TDP supporters, especially women, attempted to prevent the arrest of the former minister.
Police served notices on Murthy under CrPC Section 41 (A) and (B). Two cases were registered against the TDP leader at Arundalpeta and Nagarampalem police stations in Guntur district.
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The cases were booked under IPC Sections 153 (provocation), 294 (uttering obscene words), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace), and 505 (statements conducive to public mischief).
In the evening, after police foiled the attempt of the TDP cadre to shift Murthy to a hospital in an ambulance, the latter locked himself in his house. Around 8 pm, the cops dispersed the agitating women and forced their way into Murthy’s house to hand over the notices.
Later, they shifted him to Guntur. Accusing the police of forcibly taking her husband away, Madhavi Latha questioned what was the need to deploy hundreds of police officers? “He is not a criminal,” she asserted. She also lodged a complaint at Parawada police station stating that police disrupted her family’s normal life by confining them in the house since Sunday night.
TDP leaders, including former minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao, MLA Velagapudi Ramakrishna Babu and MLC Duvvarapu Rama Rao, reached the place and staged a protest against police action.
TDP national general secretary Nara Lokesh, who is currently in New Delhi, spoke to Murthy over the phone and extended solidarity. Asserting that the yellow party will stand by the former minister in his fight against the ruling YSRC, Lokesh accused the police of adopting double standards.
He sought to know if the law was separate for the ruling and Opposition leaders. He questioned the police for not registering cases against YSRC leaders who were passing vulgar remarks and the TDP leaders.
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