Oppn parties, student unions protest against police action

Tirupati: The police action against the agitators belonging to various opposition parties’ State-wide on the Republic Day evoked protests in the city on Friday.

Political parties and students’ organisations held demonstrations separately here condemning the police resorting to repressive measures on Republic Day to prevent them from observing `Protest Day’ against government’s apathy on Special Category Status (SCS) issue.

Tension prevailed for some time at Gandhi Statue circle when police tried to arrest YSR Congress Party leaders including Tirupati MP V Varaprasad, party senior leader Bhumana Karunakar Reddy and others.

Angered over the police preventing them from staging a protest on the Republic Day, and also not allowing candle light rally, the YSRCP leaders along with their followers gathered in good number at Gandhi Statue Circle near RTC bus stand to protest against the police action.

Speaking on the occasion, Varaprasad and Karunakar Reddy came down heavily on Chandrababu Naidu government and accused him of unleashing police force to suppress a public movement and democratic rights of people.

They condemned the police taking YSRCP president Jaganmohan Reddy into custody at Vizag airport on Thursday to prevent him from participating in the protest against the Central and State governments on SCS issue in the port city.

Police after allowing the protest for an hour, sought the leaders and activists to disperse leading to sloganeering by the agitators against the police and altercation.

Tension prevailed for a while as the police tried to take the leaders into custody, to clear them from the busy junction.

After much fforts, police took away MP Varaprasad and Karunakar Reddy from the spot and dispersed the party activists.

The leaders of students’ organisations including SFI, AISF, GVS and DYFI jointly held a demonstration against the police highhandedness .