TDP leaders’ suicide bid abetted by ‘Police Raj’: Naidu

Amaravati: TDP national president and former chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday accused a section of the AP Police of unleasing such ‘political persecution and harassment’ that abetted two TDP leaders in Prakasam district to attempt suicide by taking poison.

Naidu wrote a letter to the DGP of Andhra Pradesh on the ‘continuing deterioration of law and order’ under what he described as the suppressive ‘Police Raj’ in AP. It was out of political vendetta that a false case was booked against some TDP leaders of Mogilicharla village at the Lingasamudram police station in Prakasam district.

The TDP chief told the DGP that the Lingasamudram police had harassed and beaten up M. Srikanth and P. Rathaiah of the TDP, who later took poison to avoid further persecution. Even minor children were taken to the police station. A thorough enquiry should be ordered into the beating up incident. Stringent action should be taken against the erring police in order to restore public faith in policing.

Naidu strongly condemned the Mogilicharla incident and said that the police harassment took place at the behest of ruling YSRCP leaders. On September 5 (Sunday), around 6 PM, the police picked up six TDP activists and took them to the police station. Mannam Srikanth and Pallapothu Rathaiah were picked up along with their families including two children – one child aged around 10 years, while the other two aged around 6 years.

Chandrababu Naidu told the DGP that M. Srikanth and P. Rathaiah were beaten on their legs and were severely warned by the police to quit supporting TDP. After physically harassing, abusing and threatening them, the police left them at 2 AM in the early hours of September 6. Again, at 6.30 AM on September 6, the Lingasamduram SI once again threatened and called them to come to the police station. Frightened and afraid of further police harassment, Srikanth and Rathaiah took poison.

The TDP chief said that after the suicide bid, the police immediately released the remaining six TDP supporters on station bail and sent them away in a hurried manner. Srikanth and Rathaiah were admitted to the hospital and were out of danger. The arrested TDP supporters were not given or shown the FIR booked against them. It seemed that the ‘Police Raj’ going on in the State was only reminiscent of the oppressive Colonial Raj.

Naidu deplored that the police in connivance with the ruling YSRCP were persecuting all those who were holding political views and beliefs that were opposing the ruling party in the past two and half years. It is appalling to note the one-sided functioning of a section of police favouring the ruling YSRCP and constantly harassing the TDP leaders, cadre and sympathisers.

The TDP chief said that in the past two years, the fame and name of the AP police has touched its lowest point. The public confidence in the police has been in deep abyss. The DGP should take steps to restore proper functioning of the police by adhering to the law of the land. Only a proper inquiry and appropriate action in the Lingasamudram incident would restore public faith in the functioning of AP police.