Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan condemned the police action against leaders of his party on Saturday, October 15, after leaders of the ruling YSRCP alleged that JSP workers attacked their convoys near the Visakhapatnam airport. Earlier on Saturday, following a rally called 'Visakha Garjana' organised by the YSR Congress Party in support of three capitals for Andhra Pradesh, a few ministers were going to the airport when their convoys were surrounded and attacked by a group of persons. YSRCP leaders have alleged that the attacks were carried out by Jana Sena workers.
Pawan Kalyan was in Visakhapatnam to participate in a public outreach programme called ‘Jana Vani’ on Sunday and was staying at the Novotel hotel, where police turned up on Saturday night to pick up a few party leaders and also visited the floor where Pawan Kalyan was staying. Pawan Kalyan asked the police to release the leaders, and alleged that the police had behaved in a high-handed manner.
According to JSP, party leaders Sundarapu Vijay Kumar and PVSN Raju were arrested by the Visakhapatnam police on Saturday night. JSP political affairs committee chairman Nadendla Manohar alleged that the city police, at the behest of the ruling YSRCP, had created hurdles for the Jana Vani programme which had been planned three months beforehand. He also alleged that the police failed to make arrangements to regulate traffic and manage the crowd despite sending requests in advance. He alleged that police officials made attempts to foil Pawan Kalyan’s public rally on Saturday night by cutting the power supply to street lights and trying to keep the actor-politician away from public view.
It’s very unfortunate to witness such high handed police behavior In Visakhapatnam.JSP has always held AP Police force in high esteem.Arresting our leaders is unwarranted.
— Pawan Kalyan (@PawanKalyan) October 15, 2022
విశాఖ ఎయిర్ పోర్ట్ ఘటన పేరుతో పదుల సంఖ్యలో అక్రమంగా అరెస్ట్ చేసిన జనసేన నాయకుల్ని, కార్యకర్తల్ని వెంటనే విడుదల చెయ్యాలి. ర్యాలీకి అనుమతి అడిగిన నేతలపై హత్యాహత్నం సెక్షన్ ల కింద కేసులు పెట్టి అరెస్టులు చేయడాన్ని తీవ్రంగా ఖండిస్తున్నాను.(2/3)
— N Chandrababu Naidu (@ncbn) October 16, 2022
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief Chandrababu Naidu also condemned the police action on JSP leaders and called it an attempt to foil the Jana Vani programme. “I strongly condemn the undemocratic actions of the YCP government in Visakhapatnam. YCP's conspiracies to block the Jana Vani programme of Jana Sena chief @PawanKalyan are evil. Conducting searches in the hotel where he is staying and threatening the leaders is proof of dictatorial rule,” Naidu tweeted. He alleged that many JSP leaders and workers were illegally arrested in the name of the Visakhapatnam airport violence and that leaders who had sought permission for Pawan Kalyan’s rally were booked for attempt to murder.
The Jana Vani programme was set to take place at the Visakhapatnam Port Trust’s Port Kalavani auditorium. On Sunday morning, Pawan Kalyan and Nadendla Manohar addressed the media at Novotel and said that police personnel had turned up at the hotel in large numbers in the early hours of Sunday morning. “The police arrived at 3 am, argued with us and demanded the keys to the vehicle in which Pawan Kalyan had travelled. In the morning, senior police officers came to Pawan Kalyan’s room and sat there for half an hour. They asked him to go to the programme without being seen by people,” Manohar said. Pawan Kalyan said, “Police were here late at night. We heard they might pick us up. What have we done?”
Earlier on Saturday, tension prevailed near the Visakhapatnam airport as some persons surrounded and attacked the convoys of YSRCP ministers Jogi Ramesh and RK Roja, former minister Perni Nani and TTD (Tirumala Tirupati Devsthanams) board chairman YV Subba Reddy. They were alleged to be JSP supporters. The incident occurred when JSP workers had gathered in large numbers outside the airport to welcome Pawan Kalyan, and at the same time, some ministers and leaders of YSRCP reached the airport to leave for Vijayawada, after attending the 'Visakha Garjana' rally.
Stones were pelted on the vehicles of minister RK Roja, Jogi Ramesh and TTD chairman YV Subba Reddy. The driver of Roja's car sustained minor injuries in the stone pelting. The vehicles of YSRCP leaders were damaged, and the glass panes of Subba Reddy’s car were broken.
Pawan Kalyan landed in the city on a three-day visit to attend the Jana Vani programme to hear the grievances of people from the north Andhra region. Chaos prevailed outside the airport terminal building and the police had to use force to disperse the Jana Sena workers and others present and to control the situation. Pawan Kalyan’s supporters were believed to be upset over verbal attacks by state ministers and YSRCP leaders on their leader. They also raised slogans against the ruling party leaders.
With IANS inputs