Andhra Minister�s house set on fire amid violence over renaming district

Mangalore Today News Network / NDTV

Amalapuram, May 24, 2022: A mob of angry protesters in Andhra Pradesh’s Amalapuram town set state Transport Minister P Viswarup’s house on fire on Tuesday over proposed renaming of the newly-created Konaseema district as B R Ambedkar Konaseema district.

 

The minister and his family were moved to safety by the police.

A police vehicle and an educational institution’s bus were also set on fire. Several policemen were injured by the stones thrown by the protesters.

"It is unfortunate that over 20 police personnel sustained injuries in the incident. We will conduct a thorough investigation into the incident and bring the culprits to book," the state Home Minister Taneti Vanitha said.

Ms Vanitha alleged that some political parties and anti-social elements apparently instigated the arson.

On April 4, the new Konaseema district was carved out of the erstwhile East Godavari.

Last week, the state government issued a preliminary notification seeking to rename Konaseema as B R Ambedkar Konaseema district and invited objections, if any, from the people.

The Konaseema Sadhana Samiti objected to the proposed renaming of the district and wanted the name Konaseema retained.

The Samiti organised a protest on Tuesday and sought to submit a memorandum to the district Collector Himanshu Shukla against the renaming.

Police tried to foil the protest, which apparently infuriated the protesters and violence erupted.