Three MLAs Put under House Arrest to Control Violence in AP's Palnadu
Vijayawada: As the situation remained tense in several areas of Andhra Pradesh hit by post-poll clashes, the police placed three MLAs and several other leaders under house arrest to control the situation on Wednesday.
DGP Harish Kumar Gupta reviewed the situation and initiated steps to restore normalcy.
The Palnadu district authorities imposed ban orders under Section 144 following violence in the last two days. The Election Commission got in touch with district collector Shiva Shankar and he ordered the police to impose the ban on public gatherings with immediate effect.
This ban covers all the seven Assembly segments of the Narasaraopet LS constituency. All shops and business establishments remained closed and roads and streets wore a deserted look while the police remained on high alert.
Chief Secretary K.S. Jawahar Reddy held a meeting with DGP Harish Gupta and Intelligence ADG Kumar Vishwajith at the Secretariat. The EC kept the officials on their toes. The CS and DGP will fly to Delhi to give an explanation to the commission on Thursday.
The EC is especially incensed as it had, in a controversial step, abruptly changed the state DGP during the polls following pleas from the TD-BJP-JS alliance leaders.
The DGP, chief secretary, and Intelligence ADG held meetings to discuss these issues and decided on steps to restore normalcy.
According to the reports, three legislators - Narasraopet MLA Srinivas Reddy, Macherla legislator Pinnelli Ramakrishna, Gurazala MLA Kasu Mahesh Reddy - and Telugu Desam’s Narasaraopet candidate Chadalavada Aravind have been put under house arrest.
The police banned gatherings of three or more people. All public rallies, meetings, and processions were prohibited until further notice.
The YSRC and TD supporters clashed repeatedly in Palnadu. TD supporters’ vehicles were vandalised and the party office was attacked in Karempudi. A police officer was assaulted while he tried to intervene, reports said.
The Telugu Desam has accused YSRC MLA Pinneli Ramakrishna of inciting violence after the state-wide polling for the Assembly and Lok Sabha on Monday. This heightened tensions. Several TD and YSRC leaders have been placed under house arrest.
Palnadu SP Garikapati Bindu Madhav claimed that the police responded promptly, identifying the culprits and registering cases. Extensive vehicle checks are being conducted and security measures are intensified across the district.
He said the situation in Palnadu district is under control and all the sensitive areas are being monitored closely by the police.
Cases related to the incidents in the Macherla and Narasaraopet constituencies have been filed. “The police urge all citizens to abide by the rules and maintain peace,” he said.
