Southern States - Andhra Pradesh   

Khadgam row comes to a simmer

By Our Staff Reporter

ANANTAPUR DEC. 8. The controversy over certain objectionable scenes in the Telugu feature film `Khadgam' at Hindupur in the district, appears to be assuming serious proportions with the uncompromising stand taken by leaders of two communities or rather two political parties.

Tension was created in the town as the political parties involved in the controversy tried to give a communal colour to the issue in the beginning. The small issue has brewed into a real problem over the last 10 days leading to minor violent incidents, eventually leading to the arrest of a dozen persons each from the two parties.

The problem was politicised completely when the police allegedly beat up badly the persons arrested in the issue. As a result, the State president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, Naresh, has been camping in Hindupur for the last four days. The State president of the BJP, Ch. Ramachandra Reddy, and the BJLP leader, N. Indrasena Reddy, are also likely to visit the town tomorrow.

One of the parties involved in the issue, BJP, is learnt to have toughened its stand due to the alleged high-handedness of a top police officer in the district. According to party sources, the police officer had responded rudely warning further thrashing up of the BJP men in custody, when a State leader of the party spoke to the officer on the issue.

The 11 BJP men held in the issue, including the former municipal chairperson of Hindupur and BJP's national council member, B.S. Vidyasagar, were lodged in Madakasira sub-jail and those of the Congress in Hindupur. All of them were allegedly roughed up badly by the police.

A BJP delegation was learnt to have called on the Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, in Hyderabad two days ago over the issue and complained against the partisan attitude of the police in Hindupur. The two Lok Sabha members of TDP, K. Srinivasulu and B.K. Parthasarathi, the Penukonda legislator, Paritala Ravindra, and the district convenor of the TDP, U. Hanumantharaya Chowdary, held a closed door meeting with B.S. Vidyasagar in Madakasira yesterday.

While the Government was learnt to have agreed to take action, up to suspension, against a Circle Inspector, the BJP, however, is learnt to be adamant.

Meanwhile, the situation in Hindupur continues to be normal after it flared up again on Tuesday.

Cong., Left slam BJP: The Congress, CPI and CPI(M) accused the BJP of conspiring to gain political mileage out of the issuer and the consequent incidents. The parties also opposed the visit of the BJP leaders to Hindupur.

At a joint press conference, the District Congress Committee president, A. Venkatarami Reddy, the district secretary of the CPI, M.V. Ramana, and the leader of CPI(M), Y. Visveswar Reddy, condemned the BJP attitude alleging that it was taking the issue as an agenda.

They sought to know what was the intention of the BJP leaders making a beeline for Hindupur, when the situation had returned to normal and peace was prevailing.

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