Vijayawada: Police foil teachers' Chalo 'CM office' protest

Vijayawada: Tension prevailed in Vijayawada city as posse of police descended on all the entry points of the city to foil the attempts of members of the United Teachers Front (UTF) to make Chalo CM office programme a success. The teachers were demanding abolition of CPS. The police imposed prohibitory orders under Section-144 in the city.

Keeping in view the success of Chalo Vijayawada programme organised by teachers in the past amidst the restrictions imposed by the government, this time the police intensified vigil at all entry points and checked the vehicles including buses, auto-rickshaws and motorcycles to prevent entry of teachers into the city.

As a result of the intensified checking by police, local people including office-goers and daily wage earners were put to a lot of inconvenience.

Meanwhile, the police made the entry point of CM camp office at Tadepalli as citadel to prevent entry of agitating teachers by placing iron mesh along the national highway and blocking the way to service road leading to the Chief Minister's office. The local residents faced problems with the police pickets at Kanaka Durga Varadhi, Kunchanapalli, Prakasam Barrage, Undavalli centre and railway station. Students also suffered heavily with the restrictions and two-wheeler riders were forced to take a round-about route to reach the city as the CMO office road was blocked.

Thousands of police including plain clothes men descended on the city and checked the vehicles to prevent entry of teachers in some disguise or other. Meanwhile the police kept under house arrest hundreds of teachers union leaders at various places in the city starting from Saturday night to foil the Chalo CMO programe.

Leaders of several political parties condemned the government's move to suppress the teachers' agitation. TDP politburo member Yanamala Ramakrishnudu condemned the government action and said Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was trying to introduce bulldozer system to suppress the teachers agitation.

He criticised government for denying the right of teachers to take out a peaceful protest. CPI state secretary Ramakrishna said the present restrictions only show that a 'Police Raj' is prevailing in the State. He said imposing restrictions on the movement of people at railway station and bus stand by placing iron mesh was not unjustified.

CPM executive secretariat member Ch Babu Rao condemned the arrest of teachers while they were staging a peaceful protest under the aegis of UTF. He criticised the Chief Minister for his failure to fulfill the promise to abolish the CPS immediately after coming to power.