Lawyer asks Centre to probe attack on Naidu

VIJAYAWADA: An advocate practising in AP High Court, Gudapati Lakshminarayana, has written to union home ministry seeking a comprehensive inquiry into a series of attacks on opposition party leaders, including Friday’s attack on Telugu Desam chief N. Chandrababu Naidu at Yerragondapalem in Prakasam district.

In his letter to union home secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Saturday, Lakshminarayana said AP police is using section 151 of CrPC against opposition leaders to suppress any form of democratic dissent. However, the same section is not being used against ruling YSR Congress leaders.

Referring to the attack on the TD chief at Yerragondapalem, the advocate alleged that police sided with goons, miscreants and anti-social elements who, in the guise of staging protests against Naidu, attacked his convoy of vehicles.

Lakshminarayana said alert NSG personnel protected the former chief minister, while an NSG commanding officer Santosh Kumar got hit by a stone and suffered a bleeding head injury.

The lawyer accused local police of flouting provisions of AP Police Standing Orders 325 and 326, and failing to provide protection to Naidu.