Chittoor police gives nod to Lokesh\'s yatra with restrictions; TD objects

Anantapur: The Chittoor police gave its permission for Nara Lokesh’s padayatra programme in Kuppam, but cited several restrictions that have angered Telugu Desam leaders.

The conditions include restrictions on use of crackers, loud speakers etc and on public meetings on the main roads as the yatra passes through the national highway.

The TD leaders organising the event in Kuppam, irked by the restrictions, reportedly refused to take the permission letter from police though a team of cops from Chittoor district came in to handover the letter.

Chittoor SP Rishanth Reddy made it clear via a press release that the guidelines mentioned in the permission letter were routine and minimum, in order to ensure law and order.

In the permission letter, the police also asked TD to avoid any damage to private and public properties. The yatra shouldn’t interrupt emergency services and such vehicles on the main roads. The organisers should follow directions of duty police.

“Permission is given after following due procedure though some social media groups are circulating critical news against the police and the government and accusing us of denying permission to the padayatra,” the statement said.

Former minister Amaranath Reddy from Chittoor, one of the organisers of the yatra, said, “The Jagan Reddy padayatra had been permitted via a single page representation, but the police now set many restrictions to the Lokesh yatra.”

Meanwhile, the Kadapa TD leaders visited Ameen Peer Darga and the local church there, in preparation for the visit of Lokesh on Wednesday. TD president Sreenivasa Reddy said Lokesh would also have a darshan at the Devuni Gadapa temple in the evening.

A procession was taken out by TD cadres in Kadapa, extending support for the Lokesh-led padayatra.