The bandh called by Telugu Desam Party (TDP) condemning the judicial remand of party national president and former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu evoked lukewarm response in the State on September 11 (Monday).
The party leaders tried to enforce the bandh by stopping APSRTC buses, and closing shops and other establishments. But the police foiled their attempts, took them into custody and shifted them to the police stations.
The protesters organised ‘rasta roko’, burnt effigies and tyres at some places. They raised slogans against Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and demanded the immediate release of Mr. Naidu.
As a precautionary measure, many former Ministers, MLAs and leaders of the opposition party were kept under house arrest at several places. The police resorted to mild lathi-charge to disperse the crowds at some places.
In NTR district, the bandh was partial and peaceful. The police deployed additional forces at the Pandit Nehru Bus Station (PNBS) and the railway station in Vijayawada.
The TDP activists staged protests in Eluru district. They alleged that the government was foisting false cases on the leaders of the main opposition party instead of spending its time and energy on development of the State.
The TDP and Jana Sena Party (JSP) leaders and activists staged dharna condemning the arrest of Mr. Naidu in Guntur, Palnadu and Bapatla districts.
Bandh was partial and business establishments functioned as usual. The police resorted to lathi-charge in Guntur, Vinukonda, Palnadu, Narsaraopet and other places to disperse the protesters when they tried to enforce the bandh by closing shops and stopping vehicles. They took the protesters into custody at the Lodge Centre in Guntur and shifted them to Arundalpet police station.
In Visakhapatnam district, there was lukewarm response to the bandh. A few educational institutions declared a holiday.
The police kept a few leaders such as Ganta Srinivasa Rao, Palla Srinivasa Rao, Gandi Babji, and MLCs Duvvarapu Rama Rao and Vepada Chiranjeevi Rao under house arrest, and took a few others into preventive custody.
Chittoor former Mayor Katari Hemalatha, former MLC Dorababu, Chandragiri TDP in-charge Pulivarthi Nani and other leaders were kept under house arrest.
In Anantapur district, former Minister Paritala Sunitha and her son Sriram were taken into custody. Tadipatri Municipal Chairman J.C. Prabhakar Reddy was detained at his house.
The TDP activists organised protests in Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts. Former Union Minister P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, TDP district president Kimidi Nagarjuna and other leaders protested against the deployment of police forces at their houses.
