Tirupati: Police put opposition leaders under house arrest

Tirupati: Preventing opposition party leaders from meeting the Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy in Tirupati, police on Thursday house arrested several leaders including JSP and BJP who planned to stage protests on crime against women in the state. As part of preventive arrests, police also house arrested several TDP leaders though they have no intention to meet the CM or planned to stage any protest. The police house arrested JSP city in-charge Kiran Royal at Bairagipatteda while he was going to meet the Chief Minister during his visit to the city. Kiran Royal staged a dharna at his residence demanding the police to allow him to meet the CM. Supporting Kiran Royal, other JSP leaders including district general secretary Rajesh Yadav, city president Raja Reddy and general secretary Suman joined the dharna. BJP state spokesperson G Bhanuprakash Reddy was arrested by the police at his house in Khadi Colony while he was going to join the dharna of Mahila Morcha at RDO office.

Later, Bhanuprakash Reddy staged dharna at Alipiri police station demanding the CM to take proper action on women safety. TDP leaders including Mannuru Suguna, former MLA and Tirupati constituency party in-charge, and G Narsimha Yadav, Tirupati parliamentary party president, were house arrested. Condemning the house arrest, Narsimha Yadav staged a dharna at his residence in Lakshmi Puram.

Meanwhile tension prevailed at CPM office when the police prevented the CITU leaders from meeting Chief Minister during his visit to temple city on Thursday.

The CITU leaders planned to submit a memorandum on the long-pending issue of providing time-scale to forest workers, who are on relay hunger strike for more than 536 days at TTD Forest Office on Hare Krishna Road. However, the police foiled their attempt and locked the party office at Yasoda Nagar preventing them from meeting the CM. Condemning the police action, CITU leaders raised slogans against the police and Chief Minister for gagging the voice of forest workers using police force. They said the CM promised to give time-scale to forest staff during his visit to Tirupati before coming to power.

CITU district secretary Kandarapu Murali condemned the police act and termed it as 'undemocratic' and demanded the CM to provide time-scale for forest workers.