AP on high alert

Vijayawada : Red alert has been sounded at all key railway stations across Andhra Pradesh on Friday following violence that rocked the Secunderabad and other railway stations in various parts of the country.

Thousands of youth, aspiring jobs in Defence forces particularly the Army, vandalized the railway stations and railway properties protesting the Agnipath army recruitment scheme.

Enraged with the announcement of the scheme, the youth resorted to protests in various parts of the country and torched the trains, engines, parcel offices and other valuable properties of the Railways. The Railways forced to cancel many trains and divert some other trains. In Vijayawada, more than 250 police personnel from the Railway Protection Force and the city police were deployed in and around the railway station to prevent any untoward incident.

Vijayawada Commissioner of Police Kanti Rana Tata visited the railway station and spoke to the GRP and RPF police officials.

Similarly, the police personnel were on high alert at Guntur, Tenali, Rajamahendravaram, Ongole, Nellore, Tirupati and Vizag railway stations.

Trains travelling from Secunderabad to other places via Vijayawada railway station were cancelled till evening. Trains passing from Vizag towards Chennai and Tirupati and vice-versa continued the services as usual on Friday.

The Commissioner of Police told the media that security was beefed up in and around Vijayawada Railway station on Friday.

In Guntur and Bapatla districts, the police were on high alert. Guntur district Urban SP Arif Hafeez and Bapatla SP Vishal Gunni reviewed the security arrangements at various railway stations. Over 300 police personnel were drafted for the duty to prevent any untoward incident at Guntur Railway station and New Guntur railway station, Nallapadu, Tenali and Bapatla stations.

Similarly, security was beefed up at the railway stations in Rajamahendravaram, Nellore, Ongole, Markapuram, Tirupati and Vizag to prevent any untoward incident.