Police detain, arrest JSP leaders

Visakhapatnam: Tense moments prevailed at various parts of the city as police stopped JSP leaders from taking out a protest as scheduled on Monday and bundled them up to shift to police stations instead.

Demanding the withdrawal of the one-way route at Siripuram near Tycoon hotel junction, the JSP leaders have been staging a protest for the past few days.

On Monday, JSP PAC chairman Nadendla Manohar, party leaders Kona Tatarao, among others, were detained at hotel Novotel.

JSP corporator P Murthy Yadav was arrested when he was attending the GVMC council meeting.

JSP activists and supporters at various junctions were taken into custody and shifted to police stations.

Women who were stopped from staging a protest alleged that the police have been partial towards the Opposition parties and failed to maintain law and order in Visakhapatnam which is otherwise known to be a peaceful city. Despite their peaceful protests, the JSP leaders pointed out that the police did not allow them to take out a dharna.