Amid mild tension, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa arrived here on Tuesday evening on a two-day pilgrimage to Tirumala Sri Venkateswara temple.
Mr. Rajapaksa, who arrived at the Renigunta airport here by a special Sri Lankan flight, was received by Collector Siddharth Jain and Superintendent of Police (Tirupati Urban) Gopinath Jatti among others at the airport.
Mr. Rajapaksa immediately boarded a special chopper and landed at Sri Venkateswara University stadium, where he was welcomed by Minister Bojjala Gopalakrishna Reddy.
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In spite of the serious efforts to rein in agitators sneaking into the district from the neighbouring Tamil Nadu, a person identified as Kumaran from Tiruvallur was picked up by the police at Renigunta railway station. He was found moving suspiciously with placards in his hand. Kumar, said to be a sympathiser of Viduthalai Chiruthaikal Katchi (VCK), shouted slogans against Mr. Rajapaksa and the Sri Lankan Government’s ‘genocide’ of Tamils.
Similarly, some demonstrators believed to be members of the VCK were arrested at Ambedkar Circle in the city when they tried to hold a demonstration. It may be noted that the VCK, hitherto confined to Tamil Nadu, made foray into Andhra Pradesh recently, by launching its state unit ‘Vimuktha Chiruthala Kakshi’ in mid-October. The members were packed into buses and sent to various police stations. In all, more than 50 persons were detained from various towns in the district and let off later.