Andhra Pradesh   

Sarpanches' rally turns violent in Andhra Pradesh

Special Correspondent

Ten injured as police resort to lathicharge

HYDERABAD: A rally of sarpanches from all over Andhra Pradesh on Friday afternoon turned violent as the huge crowd of participants charged from Indira Park towards the Secretariat demanding instant redress of their grievances, mainly withdrawal of the condition stipulating multiple authority for issuing cheques.

The police resorted to a lathicharge twice as the crowd broke the cordon at the Katta Maisamma temple on Lower Tank Bund road. Ten persons, including sarpanches, sustained minor injuries as the police began whipping when the situation went out of control. Two women sarpanches of the Telugu Desam were shifted to hospital.

Rasta roko

After the lathicharge, the crowd squatted on the flyover of Lower Tank Bund road for over four hours during which time the leaders went to meet Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy at the Secretariat. Dr. Reddy invited a larger delegation of the sarpanches to his residence after initial talks with three leaders.

A separate delegation of leaders which talked to Finance Minister, K. Rosaiah, returned in the meantime but the crowd was unrelenting. A senior Congress leader, M. Kodanda Reddy, explained the assurances given by Mr. Rosaiah and unsuccessfully appealed to the crowd to disperse. The same leaders earlier made a futile attempt to meet Panchayat Raj Minister J.C. Diwakar Reddy, at a private hospital where he was admitted.

Mediation offer

Earlier, Telugu Desam president N. Chandrababu Naidu, Mr. Kodanda Reddy and leaders of other parties addressed the rally. After Mr. Naidu concluded his speech, representatives of sarpanches gave a call to the crowd to charge towards the Secretariat. However, Mr. Reddy offered to mediate with the Government by leading a delegation to the Panchayat Raj Minister.

On learning that the delegation could not talk to him the leaders decided to proceed towards the Secretariat. Much of the police force was withdrawn at that time under the assumption that the meeting was over. The crowd had a free run for a kilometre when the police tried to stop its advance near the temple. As the police force was totally outnumbered, officials ordered lathicharge while reinforcements were rushed to the spot.

The CPI (M) State committee termed the police lathicharge on the elected representatives of the local bodies as unfortunate.

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