PTI

Amaravati, May 24

Arson broke out in Amalapuram city in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday when police resorted to lathi-charge at individuals who staged a protest in opposition to the proposed renaming of the newly-created Konaseema district as B R Ambedkar Konaseema district, with a lot of police personnel left injured and the protesters against the title change allegedly setting the homes of state minister P Viswarupu and a ruling YSR Congress MLA P Satish on hearth.

While the ruling occasion blamed unnamed forces behind the arson, all opposition events hit out on the Jagan Mohan Reddy authorities over its “gross failure” in controlling the scenario.

The opposition events appealed to folks to watch restraint and guarantee peace returned to Konaseema.

State Home Minister Taneti Vanitha stated some 20 police personnel have been injured in stone pelting by the mob whereas the protestors torched a college bus.

Prohibitory orders below Section 144 CrPC have been clamped in Amalapuram whilst further police forces have been rushed in to convey the scenario below management.

Eluru Range Deputy Inspector General of Police G Pala Raju, who rushed to Amalapuram, stated they have been observing restraint and making an attempt to convey the scenario below management. He stated the injured police personnel have been “not in danger”.

Trouble began when the police allegedly prevented leaders of the Konaseema Sadhana Samiti from going into the district Collector’s workplace for submitting a memorandum in opposition to renaming the district and resorted to a lathi-charge.

The Samiti was against the proposed renaming of the newly-created Konaseema district as B R Ambedkar Konaseema district.

As police tried to chase the Samiti leaders and staff away, stone pelting ensued. As bother broke out, retailers within the city downed their shutters even because the protesters allegedly went berserk and first set a college bus on hearth.

They later went to the home of Transport Minister Viswarupu and torched it. Sensing bother, police had by then moved the relations of the ministers out to security.

Later, the protesters focused Mummidivaram MLA Ponnada Satish’s residence and set it on hearth.

“It was such a horrifying thing when a mob of 1,000-1,500 persons came and burnt our house. They were carrying petrol in bottles, which clearly indicated that they did all this intentionally,” Satish stated.

He and his relations have been, nevertheless, moved to security.

The state Home Minister Vanitha instructed reporters on the Secretariat right here that some events and anti-social components apparently instigated the arson.

“It is unfortunate that over 20 police personnel sustained injuries in the incident. We will conduct a thorough investigation into the incident and bring the culprits to book,” she added.

Principal opposition Telugu Desam Party, BJP, Jana Sena and the Congress hit out on the authorities over its gross failure in controlling the Amalapuram scenario.

“The arson in Konaseema, known for its peace, is unfortunate. The Home Minister made baseless allegations on a delicate issue. This is completely a failure of the government and the police,” Telugu Desam chief N Chandrababu Naidu stated in an announcement.

Jana Sena chief Okay Pawan Kalyan lashed out on the Home Minister for blaming the opposition events over the Amalapuram incidents.

“It is nothing but an effort to cover up the government’s failure in maintaining law and order. The ruling party is only seeking to push the blame on to the opposition to cover its failures,” Kalyan stated.

State BJP president Somu Veerraju strongly condemned the incidents and blamed the federal government for failing to make sure peace.

“The government should take responsibility for its failure to maintain peace in Konaseema,” he added.

State Congress president Sake Sailajanath too blamed the federal government over this.

Former Director General of Police V Dinesh Reddy, too, discovered fault with the police.

“Instead of blaming I can say it is failure of police. (When I was) DGP of combined AP, such incidents were never allowed to boomerang on this scale,” Dinesh Reddy stated in a social media put up.

He recalled that he labored as SP of the erstwhile East Godavari district for an extended interval and folks of Konaseema have been discovered to be peace-loving. “I am shocked at the turn of events,” he added.

On April 4, the brand new Konaseema district was carved out of the erstwhile East Godavari.

Last week, the state authorities issued a preliminary notification searching for to rename Konaseema as B R Ambedkar Konaseema district and invited objections, if any, from the folks.

Viswarupu stated the proposal to rename the brand new district was primarily based on the demand raised by all political events.

In this backdrop, the Konaseema Sadhana Samiti objected to the proposed renaming of the district and wished the title Konaseema retained.

The Samiti organised a protest on Tuesday and sought to submit a memorandum to the district Collector Himanshu Shukla in opposition to the renaming.

Police tried to foil the protest, which apparently infuriated the protesters and ultimately all hell broke unfastened within the in any other case quiet city.