The police have took several TDP leaders into preventive custody; Jana Sena and MRPS support shutdown.
Protests amid Andhra Pradesh bandh. (Supplied)
The response to the Andhra Pradesh bandh called by the Opposition TDP was peaceful and partial till noon on Monday, 11 September.
The TDP called for the statewide shutdown to protest against the arrest of its chief N Chandrababu Naidu, and his subsequent transfer to the central prison in Rajahmundry.
Naidu was arrested in a pre-dawn swoop on Saturday, 9 September, in connection with the alleged ₹371 crore skill development scam that took place when he was the chief minister from 2014 to 2019. He was on Sunday remanded in judicial custody for 10 days.
The lukewarm response to the bandh has been attributed to the statewide prohibitory orders promulgated under Section 144 of the CrPC. The police have been warning party workers against creating trouble since Sunday night.
A large contingent of police was deployed at the Rajahmundry Central Prison to prevent any untoward incidents. The police also arrested party workers who ventured out of their houses.
చంద్రబాబు గారి అక్రమ అరెస్ట్ కు నిరసనగా రాష్ట్ర వ్యాప్తంగా శాంతియుతంగా నిరసన తెలియజేస్తున్న టీడీపీ శ్రేణులు #APBandhForCBN#PeopleWithNaidu #FalseCasesAgainstNaidu pic.twitter.com/fY02U5tqWC
— Telugu Desam Party (@JaiTDP) September 11, 2023
The bandh is supported by Jana Sena led by film actor Pawan Kalyan and Madiga Reservation Porata Samiti (MRPS) led by Manda Krishna Madiga.
In Vijayawada, the TDP and Jana Sena activists staged a protest in front of the bus station. The protest was led by TDP MLA Gadde Ramamohan. He was detained and whisked away to a police station.
With the police taking preventive steps, there was not much disruption to normal life. The APSRTC buses plied normally and the business was normal at shops and establishments.
Several senior leaders, including TDP president K Atchen Naidu, were taken into preventive custody.
In Visakhapatnam, government offices, including public sector undertakings, banks, and government colleges functioned normally.
According to Andhra University sources, the university and its affiliated colleges are functioning without a hitch.
However, some private schools have declared a holiday in view of the bandh. The police have made elaborate security arrangements across Visakhapatnam district to maintain law and order.
In Tiruvuru in Krishna district, the police arrested TDP leader Devadutt who was on a Deeksha protesting against Nadiu’s arrest, while in Prakasam and Srikakulam districts there were stray incidents of rasta rokos which the police soon cleared.
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