Police foil TDP's 'Chalo Kavali' protest

Nellore: Police foiled TDP leaders' bid o Chalo Kavali agitation on Tuesday. While some leaders were placed in house arrest, others were taken into custody under the recently issued GO No 1 which banned roadshows, meetings on public roads. Huge police force was deployed at various places in the district to prevent movement of TDP leaders towards Kavali.

The SC cell of TDP called for the protest against the alleged harassment of Dalits in Kavali constituency. On Tuesday, SC cell leader Matangi Krishna was put on house arrest in the early hours and was shifted to V Town police station later. TDP state secretary J Ramanaiah was also taken into custody to prevent him from attending the party programme at Kavali.

Nellore Parliamentary committee in-charge SK Abdul Aziz was confined to his residence in Haranathapuram. Police deployed forces on the outskirts of Nellore city and Kavali towns for preventing movement of opposition leaders and Malepati Subba Naidu was held at Budamgunta and shifted to Jaladanki police station. A large posse of police personnel was deployed at Bridge Centre in Kavali in connection with Chalo Kavali.

TDP politburo member and former minister Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy alleged that attacks and atrocities on all communities, particularly Dalits have increased since the YSRCP government came to power in the state. In a statement on Tuesday, the former minister said some people died due to torture in police lock ups, while others committed suicide because they could not bear the harassment of police and ruling party leaders.

In the Kavali constituency these incidents have increased and the atrocities of YSRCP leaders had reached their peak, he lamented. He cited the case of Karunakar, a Dalit who committed suicide some time ago. He said TDP leader Nara Lokesh came and helped the family and brought the matter to the notice of the national rights bodies.

He also alleged that recently, another Dalit Paidi Harsha was subjected to torture by opening a rowdy-sheet by the under pressure from ruling party leaders. He attempted suicide unable to bear the torture of the police, is battling for life and was shifted to Apollo Hospital in Chennai for better treatment at the expense of TDP leaders, he said.

Soon after, another Dalit youth named Gochipathala Teja was attacked by a local YSRCP Congress leader and brutally beaten up, Chandramohan Reddy said. The ruling party leader who attacked the Dalit youth was given station bail and released and now the police are preventing the Chalo Kavali programme from happening, he lamented.

Further, TDP national secretary Beeda Ravichandra said the YSRCP is indulging in a coercive rule and is trying to suppress the people's concerns over the failures of the government with GO 1. He said the government was determined to disrupt the Chalo Kavali programme, which was planned to question the police harassment of Dalits and attacks by ruling party leaders.

Ravichandra lamented that the government is trying to suppress the voices of Dalits who are questioning atrocities of ruling party leaders. With hundreds of police personnel and barricades at every stage, Kavali town was under siege, he added.