Telugu Desam Party leaders Bonda Umamaheswara Rao and Buddha Venkanna and High Court advocate Para Kishore were allegedly assaulted at Macherla on Wednesday morning as they were proceeding to Veldurthy mandal where the nomination of a TDP ZPTC aspirant was rejected on Tuesday.
Police said trouble started when the SUV in which they were travelling hit a boy on the main road. Locals rushed to the spot and town YSRCP president Turaka Kishore tried to stop the car and in the melee, its windowpanes were broken.
As the crowd became restive, the car driver sped along the Macherla-Veldurthy road and on the way, an inspector provided escort. The DSP of Gurazala also intervened. The advocate drove to Nagarjuna Sagar and called up TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu who asked him to lodge a complaint at the nearest police station.
“A frenzied mob of about 100 persons attacked us with large sticks and hurled stones on us. They even attacked the police vehicle, and for a moment, we thought we would be killed,” said Mr. Umamaheswara Rao, a former MLA.
Inspector General of Police J. Prabhakar Rao and SP, Guntur Rural, Ch. Vijaya Rao, rushed to the spot and took stock of the situation. The SP said the situation was under control.
Later, Mr. Prabhakara Rao said that Turaka Kishore, Battula Nagaraju and Malala Gopi were taken into custody in connection with the violence and cases under Section 307 were registered against them.
Mr. Naidu condemned the attack, terming it a ‘black day’ in democracy. He said the TDP would seek the intervention of the Governor and the State Election Commission.
“What is the Chief Minister doing when Opposition leaders are being attacked? What is the DGP doing when anti-social elements are targeting the police? Is Andhra Pradesh becoming another Bihar?” fumed Mr. Naidu. Later in the evening, he staged a sit-in in front of the State police headquarters after walking from his party office in Mangalagiri.
YSRCP denies hand
The YSR Congress Party refuted the allegations made by Mr. Naidu. Narsaraopet MLA Gopireddy Srinivasa Reddy said TDP leaders tried to instigate the locals by coming in a convoy of cars.
He denied that YSRCP supporters had assaulted the TDP leaders and alleged that the TDP was trying to create a sense of panic among the people of Palnadu.
