Cops lost temper, admits IG

Eight students and nine policemen were injured when both groups began pelting stones at each other in the Sri Krishnadevaraya University in Anantapur on Tuesday.
The inspector-general of police, Ms A.R. Anuradha, admitted that the “police personnel at Anantapur lost their temper and their action of hurling back the stones at the students was unjustified.”
Explaining the sequence of events, Ms Anuradha said some students of the SK University went to Akuthotapally village, about three kilometres from the campus, to make an issue over the death of a person.
“One Rajendra Prasad of the village had died a natural death. His death has no connection with the agitation. But students made an attempt to bring the body into the university and to link the death to the agitation and create tensions.
The local police thwarted their attempt by arresting one Mr Balaswamy and three others. Following their arrest, a large number of students staged a road blockade and resorted to violence,” Ms Anuradha said.
The police resorted to heavy caning. The students pelted stones on the police who then reciprocated.
Ms Anuradha said that the mood of the students had been very violent for the past three or four days as was obvious from the TV visuals.
“If they had come into Anantapur town with the body, it would have created more problems. So there was no option but for the police to control the violence,” she said.
But she admitted that “the police should also maintain restraint.” Replying to a query she said no case has been registered against the policemen who hurled the stones.
In 251 places in Andhra and Rayalseema, the United Andhra agitators are continuing a relay fast, but so far they are not creating a law and order problem, Ms Anuradha said.
In several other parts of the state, agitators organised “rail rokos.” They stopped the Sabari Express at Yerrguntla, Chitoor, and resorted to road blockades at 98 places.
A room of the Bar Association was partly set on fire in the Kadapa district sessions court. Agitators also damaged the Coastal Bank in Bhimavaram, the agricultural office in Vemula, and buses in Vijayawada and Sattenpalli in Guntur district.
Meanwhile, the prisoners in the Nandayal sub-jail in Kurnool too have joined the United Andhra agitation by going on a hunger strike on Tuesday.
“The situation is still volatile in Anantapur. We hope it will soon be back to normal,” Ms Anuradha said.
When asked about the Kadapa MP, Mr Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, joining the chorus for United Andhra she said, “We don’t see any aggravation of the agitation with Mr Jagan’s entry.”

Trs news, hyderabad hot news, hyderabad city, hyderabad news,Telugu News,Telugu,andhra,telangana,