Dais set on fire in Warangal ahead of Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu's address

Hyderabad: Unidentified persons set on fire a flexi-board near the dais on Thursday morning at Hanamkonda in Telangana's Warangal district where Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is scheduled to address the TDP workers later today, police said.

The backside area of the dais where Naidu is scheduled to address the party leaders and workers at Hygrivachari grounds was partially burnt in the incident, Hanamkonda DSP Sobhan Kumar said, adding, they have registered a suo-motu case in this connection.

Besides, two activists of Madiga Reservation Porata Samiti (MRPS) in the guise of TDP workers barged into the party's office in Warangal and allegedly tried to torch the furniture there over the issue of categorisation of Scheduled Castes (SCs), police said.

Later, some chairs were found burnt there. At some places in Warangal, the TDP banners welcoming Naidu were also found burnt, police said.

"Nearly 100 activists of MRPS have been taken into custody from different places in Warangal district as a precautionary measure," DIG (Warangal Range) B Mallareddy told PTI.

Naidu is on a one-day visit to Warangal district to boost the morale of party cadres, check defection to the TRS and revive the party in the state. This is his first visit to Warangal post the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.

The MRPS has been demanding that AP government should provide 12 per cent reservation to SCs through a process of amendment in the Constitution for categorisation of SCs.