Konaseema stir: BJP, YSRC leaders among 19 held

AMALAPURAM: Nineteen persons, including a BJP and a YSRC leader, were arrested for Tuesday’s violence in Konaseema district over its proposed renaming after Dr B.R. Ambedkar. The district continued to be tense but under control with heavy police deployment.

It is learnt that the investigation teams have identified nearly 5,000 persons who participated in the agitation of whom 450 were taken into custody for questioning. Superintendent of police Subba Reddy, who sustained injuries in Tuesday's rioting, said that identifying those who had resorted to violence was a continuous process.

As per a complaint given by Samalkot police station Home Guard Vasamsetty Subrahmanyam, the police registered cases against 19 persons under various sections including attempt to murder. BJP leader M.V. Subba Rao, YSRC leader Nalla Ajay and others were among the arrested persons. It is said that Ajay had resigned from the YSRC after the preliminary notification was issued to propose the Konaseema district’s renaming after Ambedkar.

Six senior police officers including Vishal Gunni and Siddardh Kousal and more than 900 personnel were deployed to keep the situation under control.
Meanwhile Jana Sena leaders lashed out at the YSRC government. Party political affairs committee member Settibathula Rajababu told the media at Rajamahendravaram that party activists should not fall for the YSRC’s “cheap tricks.”

He claimed that the YSRC has drawn up a conspiracy to damage the Jana Sena as activists from other parties, in particular those from the Scheduled Castes community, were joining it. The YSRC was trying to divide the SC community, he said.

Another PAC member, Pantham Venkateswara Rao (Nanaji), said that Jana Sena would not keep quiet if the YSRC booked false cases against its activists under the pretext of Konaseema violence.

Party senior leader Pithani Balakrishna said that during the agitation at Tuni for Kapu reservations, some antisocials had entered the agitation and burnt a train and police stations. A similar situation had arisen at Konaseema,