Andhra Pradesh

Seven killed in violence

Staff Reporter

PENUKONDA: The countdown to the Penukonda Assembly byelection began on a violent note when six Telugu Desam Party (TDP) activists and an Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police were killed and scores of others were injured around the time the party candidate, Paritala Sunita, filed her nomination on Friday.

The police fired as many as 300 rounds, lobbing dozens of teargas shells to quell violent mobs of TDP workers outside the office of the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) where Ms. Sunita had gone in the forenoon to submit papers. In the violence that ensued, irate mobs set afire ten lorries and a police jeep on the National Highway 7 in front of the office while retreating. The NH-7 and the surrounding areas resembled a war zone with blood and stone strewn all around. The Chief Minister, Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, squarely blamed the TDP, more particularly its president, N. Chandrababu Naidu, for the violence, and rejected the demand for a judicial inquiry since a magisterial probe had already been ordered. He criticised Mr. Naidu for rejecting his proposal that both the Congress and the TDP desist from fielding candidates belonging to families with a factional background. Dr. Reddy announced his decision to keep away from the three-week-long election campaign.

Mr. Naidu, on the other hand, demanded a judicial probe, and the suspension of the Rayalaseema Inspector-General of Police, R. P. Meena, and the Anantapur Superintendent of Police. He said the Election Commission should take note of the "attempt by the Congress to subvert the democratic process" by deputing special observers and police officers from outside for the bypoll.

He said that the violence was the handiwork of outsiders but the Chief Minister retorted by saying that the only outsiders in Penukonda were the former Ministers — T. Devender Goud, N. Janardhan Reddy and other TDP leaders from Hyderabad — and that they had instigated the violence.

Trouble began even before Ms. Sunita, wife of the slain TDP MLA, Paritala Ravi, went to the RDO's office to submit her nomination.

Thousands of her late husband's supporters had gathered there. Wielding lathis, they tried to gatecrash into the office.

When the police tried to push them out, the TDP workers reacted violently by throwing stones at them and seriously injuring several officers and policemen. As the mob began getting unruly, the police first used lathi-charge and then opened fire into the air.

Finally, they trained their guns on the mob killing three TDP activists at the entrance of the RDO's office.

Three more bodies of party workers were found — one near the Mandal Revenue Office and two beside the compound wall of the RDO's office.

The ASI from Hindupur, Kullayappa, who was grievously injured in the stone-pelting, succumbed to his injuries.

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