Stone-pelting at TDP Proddatur constituency in-charge G. Praveen Kumar Reddy’s house leads to tension; party leaders condemn his midnight arrest
Stone-pelting at TDP Proddatur constituency in-charge G. Praveen Kumar Reddy’s house leads to tension; party leaders condemn his midnight arrest
An uneasy calm prevailed in Proddatur, the home turf of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, on Friday, a day after a clash between the activists of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).
According to sources, some YSRCP activists allegedly sneaked into a gathering of Self-help Group (SHG) women and pelted stones at the residence of TDP Proddatur constituency in-charge G. Praveen Kumar Reddy. The SHG women gathered at the residence of Mr. Praveen Kumar Reddy as part of their demonstration against Lakshmi Narayanamma, a DWCRA member who was allegedly involved in misappropriation of funds of ₹40 lakh.
Taking the crowd as a cover, some miscreants pelted stones at the house, triggering tension. A team of police led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (Proddatur) Prerna Kumar intervened and arrested five activists each of the YSRCP and the TDP.
The police also arrested Mr. Praveen Reddy around the midnight and shifted him to the Kadapa Central Prison. The TDP leaders described the arrest as illegal. A team comprising TDP Kadapa president R. Sreenivasa Reddy, leaders M. Ravindranath Reddy (Pulivendula) and Putha Narasimha Reddy (Kamalapuram) met Superintendent of Police K.K.N. Anburajan. They appealed to the Police Department to stop the ‘harassment of opposition leaders in the form of illegal detention’.
TDP IT wing State vice-president Abid Shaik accused local MLA Rachamallu Sivaprasad Reddy of instigating the YSRCP activist to pelt stones at Mr. Praveen Reddy’s residence. “The MLA should be arrested,” he demanded.
Meanwhile, the police have appealed to the people to approach the nearest police station in case of any grievances and not to ‘approach the influential leaders’. The ASP appealed to the political party leaders not to make ‘provocative statements’.