Over 2,000 police personnel were deployed in the city on Tuesday as the BC Commission headed by Justice K.L. Manjunath would be interacting with representatives of the BC and Kapu castes at the Rangaraya Medical College auditorium.
The movement of vehicles would be restricted from the Bhanu Gudi Junction to the Nagamallithota Junction from the morning hours and the entire stretch would be under the police cordon. Vehicles would not be allowed into the venue, but separate parking lots had been earmarked for people coming from different directions. Movement of people in groups had already been prohibited along with imposing restrictions on the use of amplifiers.
‘Be courteous’
People would not be allowed in groups to meet members of the Commission that would commence the hearing at 10.30 a.m., but sent one by one by the police, after thorough frisking and conducting breath analyser test on the individuals. DIG of the Eluru range P.R.S. Ramakrishna, along with M. Ravi Prakash, SP, convened a trial run on the security at the venue on Tuesday and issued directions to the personnel to be deputed on different duties.
The personnel were asked to be patient with the public and give necessary directions to the individuals who wish to meet the members of the Commission. They were asked to allow the vehicles carrying patients and students appearing for the public examinations on the road and strictly implement restriction on the movement of other vehicles. The officials made it clear that there should not be any scope for untoward incidents and the police should be attentive till the completion of the Commission’s visit.
Meanwhile, members of the Commission checked into the Roads and Buildings guest house here and interacted with the district officials. They gathered details on the smart pulse survey and related issues with Collector H. Arun Kumar and Mr. Ravi Prakash.
Rally taken out
Meanwhile, members of the B.C. Welfare Association led by Barla Seetharatnam, women’s wing general secretary, took out a rally in Rajamahendravaram opposing the visit of the Commission. The protesters gagged their mouths with black cloth.
The rally started from Devichowk. At the Gokavaram bus stand, the rallyists garlanded Ambedkar’s statue.
Later, they staged a sit-in in front of the Sub-Collector’s office and raised slogans asking the Commission to go back and opposing inclusion of Kapus in the list of BCs.
B.C. Welfare Association general secretary P. Venkata Mahesh, youth wing district president Dasyam Prasad and others participated in the programme.
