Congress worker Sunkara Padmashree in Andhra Pradesh, who was arrested for protesting during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state, was granted bail at 2 am from Gannavaram Police Station on Tuesday.
She was arrested along with three other Congress workers for releasing black balloons into the flight path of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mi-17 helicopter minutes after he took off from the Vijayawada International Airport on Monday, an incident that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) flagged as a security breach.
#WATCH | A Congress worker released black balloons moments after PM Modi’s chopper took off, during his visit to Andhra Pradesh.
(Source: unverified) pic.twitter.com/ZYRlAyUcZK
— ANI (@ANI) July 4, 2022
The arrests were made for violating prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in and around the airport.
After her release, Sunkara Padmashree said, “Protesting is a right in democracy but we, along with leaders who did not join the protest and were at home, were arrested. The chief minister is taking selfies with the PM, but they have no courage to ask him about the promise he made regarding the Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh.”
She further said, “The chief minister must demand the completion of the Polavaram Project and stop the privatization of the Vizag steel plant by the central government.”
CONGRESS CALLED FOR NATIONWIDE PROTEST
Congress leaders had called for a nationwide protest to oppose PM Modi by showing black balloons. As a precautionary measure, the Krishna district police had also imposed Sections 30 of the Police Act and Section 144 of the CrPC.
Police said just before the Prime Minister’s arrival, at 8:30 am, three people, Sunkara Padmashree, Parvathi, and Kishore, were seen walking towards the airport with black balloons.
PM MODI IN VIJAYAWADA
PM Modi landed at the airport located at Gannavaram in Vijayawada in a special aircraft on Tuesday and shortly after flew to Bhimavaram in West Godavari district in a chopper to take part in the 125th birth anniversary celebrations of revolutionary freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju.