50 arrested for violence during Chandrababu Naidu's rally

As many as 50 people have been arrested for indulging in stone pelting and arson during Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu's tour of the district, police said on Saturday.

Also, 200 others involved in the riots are likely to be arrested as police are watching the footage to identify those who indulged in the violence.

At least 20 police personnel and several supporters of the opposition TDP as well as the ruling YSRCP were injured in stone pelting and arson during Chandrababu Naidu's tour of the district on Friday.

"We have video footage and are expecting to pick up another 150 to 200 people. We have also brought extra forces, 300 police personnel, from within the district and Andhra Pradesh Special Police (APSP) and deployed them across the district," Chittoor district superintendent of police Y Rishant Reddy told PTI.

"We have picked up all the persons who have assaulted police personnel, including women police personnel with stones, beer bottles, sticks and other objects," he added.

However, he said the situation is under control now and there is no need to invoke Section 144 of the CrPC.

Meanwhile, police sources claimed that all the arrested persons belonged to the TDP.

Police said the organisers of Naidu's rally did not take permission to enter Punganur and added that as many as 400 personnel were deployed on bandobust duty.

As the TDP supporters were prevented from attempting to enter the town by the police, they allegedly assaulted them, police said.

Incidentally, a skirmish was reported earlier at Madanapalle in Annamayya district which acted as a trigger for the riot before Naidu's rally reached Punganur.

As many as 50 police personnel were injured, 13 seriously in the rioting in which as many 2,000 persons were involved, police said.

Meanwhile, AP Mines Minister Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy visited the police personnel who were hospitalised and promised to extend all the medical facilities needed for their recovery.

Naidu is on 'Yudha Bheri' tour to highlight the alleged failure of the Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government in completing irrigation projects in various districts. It is a 2,500-km tour from Nandikotkur to Pathapatnam.

According to the SP, the problem started following alleged derogatory remarks by Chandrababu Naidu while addressing a rally at Mulakalacheruvu where he called Thamballapalle MLA Peddireddi Dwarakanatha Reddy a 'Ravan'.