Andhra Pradesh: Police place many TDP leaders under house arrest before 'Sand Satyagraha'

AMARAVATI: Several leaders of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) were placed under house arrest in Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday to thwart their participation in dharna and protest demonstrations against the illegal sand mining of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) Government.

Following a call given by TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu, the party activists have been staging 'Isuka Satyagraha Deeksha' across Andhra Pradesh to expose the illegal sand mining for the last two days.

In Vijayawada, the police kept former minister and TDP senior leader Devineni Umamaheswara Rao under house arrest in Gollapudi when he attempted to protest before the Directorate of Mines and Geology headquarters in Ibrahimpatnam. Police personnel in huge numbers gathered at Devineni Uma’s house ahead of his scheduled departure to dharna venue to participate in the protest.

At Vijayawada railway station, the police arrested TDP Mahila State president Vangalapudi Anitha. The other TDP leaders who were kept under house arrest by the police included Jasti Venkateswara Rao (Gannavaram), TDP politburo member Varla Ramaiah and former deputy speaker Mandali Buddha Prasad (Avanigadda).

Similarly, in Guntur district, former ministers Nakka Anand Babu and Alapati Raja, TDP state secretary Kanparthi Srinivas were kept under house arrest when they tried to protest before the deputy director of mines and geology office in Guntur. Addanki market committee former chairman Nagineni Ramakrishna was also arrested by the police when he tried to visit Vijayawada and participate in the demonstration along with Devineni Uma.

Ramakrishna was shifted to Addanki police station. In Nellore district, former minister Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy was kept under house arrest at his residence in Allipuram.