YSR Congress Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency member J. Venkata Ranga Reddy was arrested on Sunday, hours before the elections to the post of co-opted members, Chairperson and Vice-chairperson of the Prakasam Zilla Parishad.
Following a complaint from a school teacher Gunturi Rani, the Markapur police arrested the ZPTC member at Santamagaluru near Addanki when he was coming from Hyderabad along with the other YSRC ZPTC members for the trial of strength.
The ZPTC member was booked under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for allegedly abusing the woman by the name her caste following a land dispute with her at Darimadugu village on June 22, Markapur Rural SI M. Devakumar said.
Tension gripped Markapur as YSRC activists led by its MLA Janke Venkat Reddy staged a noisy protest against the timing of the arrest. “It’s unfair to deny the YSRC ZPTC member to participate in the Zilla Parishad elections,” they said.
TDP flayedCondemning the arrest by the police allegedly under pressure from the ruling TDP, YSRC District Convenor N. Balaji said that the TDP had made the ZP elections a ‘farce’.
“It is nothing but a mockery of democracy,” he added.
