Tension prevailed here on Sunday after the police stopped people from taking out rallies to protest against the shifting of the state capital.
Amaravati Joint Action Committee (JAC) had given a call for the rally from Thullur to Mangalagiri temple on completion of 600 days of its protest over the state government's plans for trifurcation of the state capital.
Hundreds of policemen were deployed to stop the protesters from marching from their protest camp at Thullur. The protesters, including women, entered into an argument with the police. They objected to the police stopping a peaceful rally.
Police also stopped a bike rally by the Amaravati farmers. Some of the protesters ran towards the Andhra Pradesh High Court building.
Police officials deployed to foil protests
Police also foiled the attempt by leaders and workers of opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to take out a rally from Tadepalli. The protesters wanted to march towards the High Court. When the protesters tried to head towards Undavalli, police took them into custody.
The police imposed restrictions in all the villages in Amaravati to prevent protest rallies. JAC had called for a large-scale protest to mark 600 days of the protest. It had appealed to people to participate in the march from High Court to the temple. However, the police denied permission for the rally.
Large number of police personnel have been deployed in the villages since Saturday evening to foil the protests. They erected check posts and barricades to stop outsiders from entering the villages.
Even the media persons were not allowed into the villages. Only locals were allowed through the check posts after they produced their identity cards.
Farmers and other residents of Amaravati villages have been staging protests for 600 days demanding that Amaravati be retained as the single state capital.
The YSR Congress Party government led by Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has decided to shift administrative capital to Visakhapatnam and judicial capital to Kurnool while retaining Amaravati as only the legislative capital.
(With inputs from IANS)
