Attack on journo rocks Chirala

Chirala: The Chirala merchants and people observed bandh in support of Nayudu Nagarjuna Reddy, who is under going treatment at a private hospital in Ongole after he was brutally stabbed by a gang on Monday, amid the arrests of members from people organisations and restrictions imposed by the police on Friday.

The organisations and merchants unions including the CPM, AITUC, Bapuji Market committee called for shutdown of activities demanding the government to arrest all 26 people involved in the assault and attempt to murder of journalist Nagarjuna Reddy.

Members of organisations including Macharla Mohan Rao, Babu Rao, Damala Srikrishna, Jwala Narasimha Rao, Gavini Srinivasa Rao and others tried to stage a rally from municipal office in the noon.

But the police announced that there were restrictions in force in the town as per Section 30 of Police Act and Section 144 of CRPC and stopped the rally. After a heated argument, the police arrested the people leading the rally and shifted them to Town I police station.

At Ongole, the Andhra Pradesh Editors and Journalists Union protested in front of the Collectorate demanding the government to arrest all people behind the repeated attacks on Nagarjuna Reddy.

President of APEJU Mekapati Malyadri said the earlier TDP government and the present YSRCP government neglected the protection of journalists. He said that the same journalist was attacked three years ago by the same people for bringing out corruption, but the then government protected the accused and the present government is also doing so, now.

He demanded that the government should arrest all people involved in the crime by using non-bailable sections and announce monetary support of Rs 10 lakh to the journalist, whose both hands and legs were broken by the culprits.