Telugu Desam party's day-song shutdown turns chaotic amid arrest of leaders
TIRUPATI: Andhra Pradesh witnessed sporadic unrest incidents as the opposition Telugu Desam (TD) party called for a day-long shutdown to protest the arrest of its national president and former Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, in connection with an alleged skill development scam.
The shutdown, which began on Monday morning, has escalated tensions and led to confrontations between TD supporters and police officials.
TD leaders and workers took to the streets at various locations across the combined Chittoor, Nellore and Prakasam districts, condemning the arrest and subsequent remand of Naidu. In a bid to quell the protest, police placed several top party leaders under house arrest for the third consecutive day.
Additionally, prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC were imposed, banning rallies, processions, and meetings following Naidu's remand in judicial custody. Defying the prohibitory orders, TD cadres staged protests at different places, with tensions escalating rapidly.
In Chittoor's Kuppam town, TD workers initiated a road blockade by setting tyres ablaze and placing boulders on the highway. Police intervened, arrested the protesters and taken them into custody.
The situation further intensified in Nellore rural where MLA Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy, under house arrest for the third consecutive day, engaged in a confrontation with police personnel. Reddy demanded to see the arrest warrant and questioned the necessity of his detention, leading to heightened tension in the area due to the heavy police presence.
Tensions flared near the RTC bus stand in Tirupati as TD workers attempted to stop RTC buses from operating. Police arrested the protesters to maintain order.
A similar protest took place at the RTC bus stand in Ongole and Yerragondapalem of Prakasam district. In Tirupati, police arrested TD leaders, including women who sat on the road, chanting slogans against the YSR Congress government. Former MLA M. Sugunamma was placed under house arrest, and heavy police deployment was observed outside the TD's Tirupati parliamentary incharge, G. Narasimha Yadav's residence.
