After ballot, streetfights

Hyderabad, April 25: A Congress worker died and scores of political workers were injured in the post poll violence reported in a few places in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema districts. Congress workers were mostly at the receiving end, though in Tadipatri they were involved in a series of attacks..

Police were on alert as tension prevailed in several places in 10 districts that went to polls on Thursday.

“The atmosphere has turned volatile in view of increased caste rivalry among political workers. We are facing a complex situation,” a senior police official told this correspondent. Police is considering holding meetings and setting up peace committees to ease tension.

The Chief Electoral Officer, Dr I.V. Subba Rao, said that post-poll violence would not be in the purview of the Election Commission.

In Tadipatri in Anantapur district, Mr J.C. Prabhakar Reddy, brother of the panchayat raj minister, Mr J.C. Diwakar Reddy, is believed to have gone underground after leading attacks against TD workers throughout the day. This followed attacks on Congress activists after the elections on Thursday.

Congress and Telugu Desam activists were engaged in pitched battles for hours, leading the police to order shoot-at-sight orders at one stage. They later imposed curfew in the town.

Trouble started when some TD activists assaulted a Congress worker and torched four houses belonging to the minister’s followers. Congress workers retaliated on Friday morning and torched houses and business establishments of TD followers.

Following this, the TD candidate, Mr P. Nagi Reddy, rushed to the spot with his followers. Tension escalated with both groups hurling stones and attacking each other. Mr Nagi Reddy was later arrested.

The TD activists set the vehicles of Mr Prabhakar Reddy on fire and damaged a petrol bunk owned by the former. Police fired five rounds into the air to disperse mobs.

A former naxalite and Congress worker, S. Gangaraju, was hacked to death by about 15 Telugu Desam activists led by N. Rama Kotaiah on Thursday night in Kesanapalli village in Guntur district.

There were also reports of villagers boycotting dalits for exercising their vote against the wishes of the landlords.

A Congress corporator’s husband was attacked by Praja Rajyam activists in Nellore town.

In Amapaluram, Praja Rajyam activists attacked the house of the sitting MP, Mr Harsha Kumar, and ransacked shops after the polls concluded on Thursday.