TIRUPATI: When police attempted to stop Telugu Desam supporters from congregating in Gadduru village in Santhipuram mandal of Chittoor district on Wednesday to welcome TD head N. Chandrababu Naidu, tensions erupted in Kuppam assembly seat.
The Palamaner subdivision police are implementing the most recent G.O. of the state government prohibiting public gatherings by using lathi charges to scatter TD employees. “In least 20 of them, ladies included, were hurt at Gadduru. A female party worker collapsed and was taken to a hospital, according to former TD MLC Gownivari Srinivasulu.
Hundreds of police were reportedly stationed in Kuppam on Wednesday in anticipation of Naidu’s planned visit in order to prevent mass gatherings on the highways. In a previous letter to Naidu’s office, Palamaner SDPO N. Sudhakar Reddy stated that no permission will be allowed to stage any road shows or meetings on public highways. He cited GO No. 1 of the state government and asked the office to respond with the locations of meetings upon which permits would be granted. Late at night, the SDPO sent out a letter warning that no road shows or meetings would be permitted unless TD answered.
However, as part of his three-day Kuppam visit, TD built a pandal in the village of Gadduru for the TD chief’s intended Rachhabanda conference.
Police took down a stage in Kenumakulapalli hamlet and a pandal in Gadduru on Wednesday before Naidu arrived. While being transported to Santhipuram, the location of Naidu’s first road show, they also seized a TD campaign van and another vehicle carrying sound systems.
Police attempted many times to stop TD employees from going to Santhipuram to attend Naidu’s gathering. Additionally, they attempted to prevent party members from receiving their leader at the border between APK and KR. Thousands of TD employees from Kuppam and nearby mandals outnumbered police, making it difficult for them to control crowds.
As a result, police called in more resources. An effort was made to deliver notifications to the TD head when a police squad commanded by SDPO Sudhakar Reddy approached Naidu’s convoy as it reached the neighbouring village. Naidu got into a violent dispute with the cops after refusing to accept them. Naidu began a door-to-door campaign in the Pedduru hamlet after the police made it plain they would not allow him to have roadshows or gatherings.
