Opposition bandh shuts down Andhra Pradesh over special category status

Mangalore Today News Network

Hyderabad, Aug 02, 2016: Andhra Pradesh shut down on Tuesday in response to a day-long bandh called by opposition parties to protest the denial of special category status to the state by the central government.

 

According to reports from various districts of AP, the bandh has evoked a huge response. All private educational institutions voluntarily declared a holiday while there was nearly no attendance in government schools and colleges due to lack of public transport.

The state-run road transport corporation buses remained confined to the depots as activists of various opposition parties locked up the gates and staged dharnas in front of the depots.

Commercial and business establishments in major cities like Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Rajahmundry, Guntur, Nellore and Tirupati, also downed their shutters in support of the bandh.

Police arrested hundreds of activists of YSR Congress party, Congress and the Left parties early in the morning as they were taking out rallies and staging protests in front of bus stations in different parts of the state.

In Guntur, YSR Congress MLA from Mangalagiri Alla Ramakrishna Reddy was arrested as he and his party activists obstructed the movement of buses operating from Guntur to new secretariat complex at Velagapudi in Amaravati.

Traffic on the Chennai-Kolkata national highway came to a standstill for over two hours with the YSRC and Congress workers blocking the road.

In the temple town of Tirupati, former MLA Bhumana Karunakar Reddy was arrested for blocking the roads leading to famed Tirumala temple. The bus services to the hills were restored later. Police also arrested YSR Congress’ MLA from Chandragiri, Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy when he was taking out a rally in Tirupati.