Parts of the Palnadu region on Monday remained on the edge following the preventive arrests of a fact-finding committee of the YSR Congress party leaders who planned to go to sites of ‘illegal mining’.
The State government began an inquiry into the issue in Konani and Dachepalli areas in the Gurazala Assembly constituency after being rapped by the High Court.
The mining and the revenue officials named 17 persons as accused and registered multiple FIRs in the Gurazala and the Dachepalli police stations.
Permission denied
The YSRCP alleged that the accused were either benamis of local MLA Yerapathaneni Srinivasa Rao or local miners who secured leases. Following instructions from party president Y.S Jagan Mohan Reddy, the committee consisting of senior leaders Botcha Satyanarayana, Ummareddy Ventakeswarlu, Ambati Rambabu and MLA G. Srinivasa Reddy was constituted to submit a report on the ground situation on Monday.
But the police denied permission for the visit citing law and order problems and placed several leaders under house arrest. In Narsaraopet, Kasu Mahesh Reddy, in charge for the Gurazala constituency, was placed under house arrest at Narsaraopet. Mr. Venkateswarlu and Mr. Rambabu, who went to his house after evading the police, were also asked to stay inside the house. Tense situation prevailed outside his house after party supporters were stopped from meeting them. Mr. Mahesh Reddy, who tried to leave the house, was sent forcibly back by the police.
Botcha stopped at Kaza
Mr. Botcha Satyanarayana, who headed to Narsaraopet from Vijayawada, was stopped at the Kaza toll gate and was taken to the Duggirala police station. After he refused to furnish a station bail, he was taken back to Vijayawada.
K. Nageswara Rao, DSP, Narsaraopet, is monitoring the situation.
In Macherla, MLA Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy was placed under house arrest. So was former MLA Janga Krishna Murthy.
