Visakhapatnam: Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee chief YS Sharmila Reddy’s indefinite hunger strike in support of dismissed contract workers of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant was foiled by city police.

After a few hours of commencing the strike, the police reached the camp on Wednesday night wherein she was forcibly taken to Visakhapatnam Airport.

When the police tried to shift Sharmila from the hunger strike camp, steel plant union leaders and Congress party workers tried to stop the cops. However, the police pushed them aside, shifted her into a police van. She reached the airport and boarded a flight to Hyderabad.

Demanding reinstating of 2,000 contract workers of the VSP, YS Sharmila Reddy launched an indefinite hunger strike on Wednesday noon. She demanded the Central government and the VSP management to reinstate the removed contract workers with immediate effect. However, her fasting was disrupted by the police.

Sharmila alleged that the Union government is depriving the plant from raw material supply and cutting off jobs of the workers. She pointed out that the Centre is following a slow-killing method to weaken Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.

The union leaders who extended support to the hunger strike of the APCC chief termed the police action as inhuman.