Protests by members of Kapu community against the delay in its inclusion in the list of Backward Classes, at Tuni railway station in Andhra Pradesh turned violent on Sunday.
A section of the agitators attending ‘Kapu Garjana’ in response to a call given by former MP and protagonist of the Kapu movement Mudragada Padmanabham grew restive over the inordinate delay in realising their long-pending demand.
They insisted that the government should issue a Government Order immediately.
Some protesters pelted stones on the moving train even as the police tried to hold them back.
The train was stopped by the alert driver as a huge number of the protesters climbed on it. The situation went out of hand after the protesters set fire to coaches and chaos broke out with passengers running for their lives.
Railway officials held parleys with Mr. Padmanabham but to no avail as he remained steadfast on his demand. The situation continues to be tense as the protesters surged ahead in the absence of any resistance from the cops.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu takes stock of the situation with Director General of Police J.V. Ramudu and other top officials.
