Atmakur police station attack raises concerns among cops

KURNOOL: The involvement of Islamic extremists in the Atmakur police station attack in Kurnool district has caused concern among the law enforcement agencies. Kurnool superintendent of police (SP) Ch. Sudheer Kumar Reddy on Tuesday said seven persons belonging to the Socialist Democratic Party of India (SDPI) were identified to have participated in the police station attack where a car of a BJP leader was set on fire.

Of the nine people who were picked up, seven of them were from Velugodu, he said. In all, the total number of arrests has crossed 60, he said.

The SDPI has been active in the district along with the Popular Front of India, according to a senior police officer.

They have been conducting training camps under the garb of personality development classes. Recruits were indoctrinated and they were picked up for special training in Kerala and other states before sending them to participate in international assignments in Pakistan, Afghanistan, etc, the police officer said. The SP said the police had been following their moments closely and monitoring them.

Recently SDPI local units conducted special training in Nandyal and Atmakur.

When the police went there to observe the happenings, the SP said there was resistance from the outlawed agency. He said the police were invested with powers to go to any place and watch the happenings as the power was granted to them under Section 149 of the Criminal Procedure Code (Cr PC). He warned others also not to obstruct the police as they had the power to do so.

Meanwhile, BJP Andhra Pradesh state unit president Somu Veerraju alleged that Deputy Chief Minister Amzad Basha and Kurnool MLA Hafeez Khan were lending support to these banned organisations. The state was supporting them, he alleged.