Tension gripped Madanapalle town in Chittoor district on Saturday following communal tensions between two groups, leading to a police lathi-charge in which several persons were reportedly injured.
More than 500 armed police personnel have been deployed in areas vulnerable to clashes in Madanapalle. Senior police officials from Chittoor have left for the area.
According to information, some BJP and RSS activists allegedly took away about 100 heads of cattle while grazing in the Idgah Maidan compound on the outskirts of Madanapalle on Saturday morning.
This enraged local families, who gathered in large numbers and gave chase to those taking away their cattle. Police rushed to spot and shifted the cattle to a local goshala (cow pen).
Demanding the release of the cattle, over 2000 people converged at the Bangaluru bus station in Madanapalle and staged a protest at noon, which continued into the late evening hours.
Some youth stormed the sub-collector’s office and formed a human chain in protest at the bus station area.
Armed police personnel were deployed to Madanapalle from Piler, Chittoor and Tirupati.
When the protesters tried to move towards the town, police resorted to a lathi-charge at around 7.30 pm.
A former Congress MLA of Madanapalle, Mr Shajahan said it was unfortunate that Hindutva groups barged into the Idgah maidan and took away the grazing cattle.
Chittoor District Muslim Minorities Welfare Association president Mr M. Afzal Khan condemned the police lathi-charge on minorities, and appealed to the community not to get provoked.
Counselling
Chittoor superintendent of police Ghattamaneni Srinivas said the situation is under control in Madanapalle. “We are counselling both groups,” he said.
Madanapalle sub-collector A. Mallikarjuna said the law and order situation in the town was under control.
He added that senior police officials are camping in Madanapalle to monitor the situation.
“I have also gone around the town. Everything is under control,” he said.
