Seemandhra turns into a cauldron. The two-month long peaceful people’s movement for a united state suddenly took a violent turn on Friday after the Union Cabinet approved the Telangana State formation.
All the 13 districts in the Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra regions, which remained shut down for the past 63 days, erupted like a smoldering volcano following the 48-hour bandh call given by the JACs of APNGOs, students and various organizations to vent their anger and anguish over the cabinet nod for state bifurcation The decision of the YSRCP for a 72-hoiur shut down in the region further incensed agitators to target central government properties like railway stations and disrupting train services.
Violent incidents erupted in many parts of the regions with the integrationists going berserk in damaging public property, disrupting train movements and frequently clashing with the police. As the situation went out of control in some places, police resorted to lathi-charge and also lobbed teargas to disperse stone throwing mobs.
As expected the residences of political leaders including ministers, MPs and MLAs, became the main target of the agitators. Blaming these leaders for failing to prevent the state bifurcation process after Thursday’s approval of the Telangana note, the agitated integrationists raided their houses to force their resignations. Even the party offices of Congress and TDP were attacked by the agitators.
Unprecedented violent scenes were witnessed in the other-wise peaceful Vizianagaram district, the native district of PCC President Botcha Satyanarayana. Enraged over the double talk of the PCC Chief and his vacillating attitude regarding resignation, hundreds of agitators comprising of students, government employees and other working class marched on to the residence of the PCC Chief.
The police who had made elaborate security arrangements in the district, especially at the residence of the PCC Chief, tried to prevent the agitators from marching on to the residence of the PCC Chief. This led to a clash between the police and agitators and the latter broke the police cordon and tried to barge into the house. The police, in a bid to avert the situation taking a serious turn, lathi-charged the agitators. This provoked the fleeing agitators to indulge in indiscriminate stoning.
The agitators damaged as many as four vehicles and set fire to motor tyres and blocked the street. A number of police personnel sustained injuries when they were virtually lynched by the agitators. The police as a last resort lobbed teargas shells to disperse the warning mob.
The residences of Minister Balaraju in Visakahpatnam and Minister Shatrucharla Vijayarama Raju in Parvathipuram of Vizianagaram district also became the target of violent attack by the agitators. Here too the police had to intervene and bring the situation under control.
All the main roads and national highways all over the Seemandhra region were virtually blocked by agitators who used burning tyres and boulders as barricades. Even the railway stations were not spared by the agitators who stopped the movement of super fast express and other express trains leading to their prolonged delay. The police forces reached the affected railway stations and dispersed the squatting mobs on the rail tracks and allowed the passage of trains. At some stations like in Ananthapur, the police even resorted to lathi-charge and teargas to bring the situation under control.
Striking employees, students, lawyers and other sections of the people stormed on to the streets in the entire region and raised slogans against the central Congress leaders including Sonia Gandhi. They burnt the effigies of leaders like Chiranjeevi, Chandrababu Naidu, Antony, Digvijay and others. At some places like Seethanagaram, emotionally surcharged residents damaged and destroyed their television sets unable to stomach the reports of state bifurcation’.
In Ananthapur district, TDP and YSR Congress supporters clashed with each other. Trouble sparked off when the YSRCP workers tried to obstruct a rally being taken out by the TDP supporters at Saptagiri Cross Roads. This led to a clash between the two groups in which stones and chairs were hurled at each other. In Rajahmundry, an attempt was made to set fire to the Congress Party Office.
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