Vijayawada: Many arrested during 'rasta roko' in support of agitating farmers

Vijayawada: In support of the agitating farmers in Delhi protesting against the anti-farmer enactments brought in by the BJP-led NDA, 'rasta roko' was staged peacefully at the Benz Circle on Thursday.

In spite of the peaceful 'rasta roko', the police launched massive arrests of the leadership and the activists including AP chairman of All India Kisan Coordination Committee Vadde Sobhanadreswara Rao, Andhra Pradesh Tenant Farmers Association vice-president V Srinivasa Rao, AP Ryot Sangham president and secretary Y Kesava Rao and Suryanarayana, APUCF convener Ch Babu Rao, AP Vyavasaya KarmikaSangham president and secretary D Subba Rao and V Venkateswarlu, AP Tenant Farmers Association state general secretary P Jamalaiah, AIDWA state secretary D Ramadevi, KVPS secretary A Malyadri, DYFI secretary Surya Rao, SFI leader Prasanna, CITU leader Dhanalakshmi, and fifty others.

Protesting against the illegal arrests of the leaders and activists, the arrested leaders called upon all the democratic-minded people to condemn the arrests. They said that protest is a democratic right.

They demanded that the Central government should immediately withdraw the farm laws which are against the interest of the farmers. They also demanded withdrawal of the move to privatise the power sector.