Andhra Pradesh - Anantapur   

Lathicharge at CPI protest, 15 injured

Staff Reporter

Activists try to barge into Collectorate to protest against price rise

ANANTAPUR: Fifteen activists of Communist Party of India (CPI) including 10 women were injured in police lathicharge on Tuesday. They had tried to force their way into the Collectorate as part of the party's protest against rising prices of essential commodities.

Initially, the activists laid siege to the Collectorate, blocking the entrance to the building.

Speaking at the protest meet, the party's district secretary M.V. Ramana said the prices of essential commodities had gone beyond the reach of poor in the last three months and the Government had been a mute spectator to this.

The claims of Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy in the meeting of Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled States recently that the prices of essential commodities were under control were wrong. Neither the State Government nor the Centre had done anything to control prices, he said.

Impact of hoarding

He explained that hoarding and forward trading of commodities by traders had created a situation where the farmer was not getting support price for his produce.

The Government had been turning a blind eye on the impact of hoarding and artificial scarcity, he alleged.

He demanded action against those diverting the essential commodities including cooking gas, kerosene and rice to hoarders.

The activists alleged that some policemen and officers had misbehaved with women participating in the protest and staged a rasta roko in Tower Clock circle demanding action against those responsible.

The party activists staged protests against price rise at Kurnool and Kadapa too.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Lathicharge at CPI protest, 15 injured
Inter-State burglars arrested
IT training centre likely for BC students near Hyderabad
Two farmers die in hospital

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu