'Police Raj' suppressing democracy in AP: Chandrababu Naidu

Amaravati : TDP national president and former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday asked the DGP to unconditionally withdraw false cases and fake arrests made against the TDP leaders so as to prove the unbiased functioning of the police force in the State.

In a letter to the DGP here, Naidu described the arrest of Denduluru former MLA Chintamaneni Prabhakar as unlawful and undemocratic. It seemed the democratically elected YSRCP regime was perpetrating a 'suppressive Police Raj' on the people rather than providing a democratic government.

A section of police were harassing Opposition leaders along with the general public if they exhibited any iota of dissent against the government.

Naidu said that the police force should focus on bringing down crime rate by preventing atrocities, rapes, murders instead of targeting the TDP leaders.

They should immediately withdraw all the false cases filed against the opposition protesters on August 28, 2021. The agitators were only demanding roll back of prices of petrol, diesel and essential commodities in a peaceful manner. They had a right to express dissent in order to protect the interests of the people.

Naidu told the DGP that there were midnight arrests of innocent people for voicing their dissent. The opposition leaders were either illegally placed under house arrest or detained or harassed with false cases just for protesting against the 'anti-people' policies of the government.

Expression of dissent was part of freedom of speech guaranteed in the fundamental rights of the Indian constitution and was also a democratic right.

Former MLA Chintamaneni Prabhakar had protested against the hike of petrol and diesel prices and met tahsildar in Denduluru to submit representation on August 28. A false case was registered against him under Sections 143, 341, 290, 353, 269, 271 r/w 149 IPC, 32 PA-1861, 51(a) Disaster Management Act, 2005.

Later, he was arrested and taken away from a wedding function in far away Visakhapatnam. What was the need to arrest an opposition party leader and former MLA in such an unscrupulous manner, he asked.