There is no stopping agitators

• Vizag port operations to stop from today
• Govt employee dies of heart attack after hearing ESMA news
• Kondru, Satrucharla and Kanumuri ‘gheraoed’
• Kadapa police break YSRCP leaders’ fast
• Students stop long-distance private buses in Guntur

Hyderabad: The Samaik-yandhra movement continued unabated with the agitators resorting to dharnas, ‘rasta roko’ and ‘vanta-vaarpu’ demonstrations on roads on Sunday. APNGOs and RTC employees ignored the government ban on strike in some services under the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) and the threat of enforcing no work – no pay rule.

In an unprecedented action, the Visakhapatnam Port users decided to stop all activities in the port from Monday morning in support of the agitation. Leaders of the port users’ associations announced in the presence of the Minister for Infrastructure that all port activities would come to a standstill.

A sub-treasury employee in Dharmavaram, in Anantapur district, died of a massive heart attack after going home on Saturday night. He had participated in the bike rally in support of a united State. After hearing the TV news of government enforcing ESMA against NGOs, he suffered an attack and collapsed. The JAC leaders visited his residence and paid homage. Agitators stopped the vehicle of Health Minister Kondru Murali Mohan, near Pusapati Rega, in Vizianagaram district, on the National Highway and demanded his resignation. They raised slogans against the government, saying he should quit and take part in the movement. In Srikakulam the agitators ‘gheraoed’ Minister for Forests Satrucharla Vijayarama Raju, demanding his resignation.

The Kadapa police swooped on the camp of YSRCP leaders, MLA Srikanth Reddy and former mayor Ravindranath Reddy to forcefully break their fast. They were hospitalised. The Student JAC leaders stopped long-distance private buses in Guntur by squatting. Raising slogans in support of Samaikyandhra, they said while the RTC buses were stopped following the employees’ strike private bus operators were looting the public, charging exorbitant fares. They warned of stopping private buses. The police intervened and arrested the students.

In Narsapur, Tirumala Tirupati Devastanam (TTD) chairman and local MP Kanumuri Bapi Raju was ‘gheraoed’ to press his resignation. He was prevented from touring the town. He was mobbed at Palakol and forced to sit on the road. The Telugu Desam workers resorted to a novel protest in Rajahmundry by milking cows on the road and distributing milk to people. They organized song-and-dance skits by young boys/girls depicting the advantages of Samaikyandhra.

Case registered against VH

3 agitators held for attack on MP’s vehicle

Tirupati: Tirupati Two Town police on Sunday registered a case against senior Congress leader and MP V Hanumantha Rao following a complaint lodged by the Telugu Nadu Students Samaikya that he had incited the Seemandhra people while talking to press persons in Tirumala. The cases were under sections 153 and 153 of IPC. The students contended that the MP’s stand would hurt the people’s sentiments.

Meanwhile, Alipiri police arrested three Samaikyandhra activists for the attack on the vehicle of Hanumantha Rao late on Saturday and registered cases against 20 others. The arrested persons---Dr. Koduru Balasubramanyam, president, Samaikya Andhra Parirakshana Samithi (SAPS), and N Raja Reddy, SAPS general secretary, and a student of Sri Venkateswara University P Harikrishna Yadav---were sent to the sub-jail after being produced before the fourth additional district judge here. Their remand ends on August 30. As the three were kept in Alipiri police station, the Samaikyandhra supporters described the arrest as ‘intentional to suppress the agitation’.