TD leader arrested for disrupting poll process

VIJAYAWADA: Amid a volatile atmosphere and braving strong resistance by his party men and cadre, Telugu Desam leader Kollu Ravindra was arrested in Machilipatnam on Thursday for allegedly disrupting the election duties of a police official. The police, who went to the house of the former minister around 6 am on Thursday, had to face some embarrassing moments but they managed to take him away.

A case under Sections 506, 341 and 188 has been registered against Kollu Ravindra at Inukuduru police station for physically abusing a Sub-Inspector on duty. He was produced before the court and later released on bail.

Police stated that Ravindra created a ruckus at a polling station on Wednesday. In addition to obstructing the voting process, he confronted an SI who prevented him from going inside the polling station along with activists as Section 144 was in place. Ravindra claimed that he had followed all norms but was targeted because he had questioned the illegalities in the polling process at the behest of transport minister Perni Venkatramaiah.

Meanwhile, TD AP president Kinjarapu Atchannaidu and other leaders condemned the arrest of Ravindra and alleged that the Chief Minister was suppressing the voice of BC leaders from other parties.

MLC Nara Lokesh accused Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy of 'misusing' official machinery to target and harass opposition leaders for cheap political mileage.

YSR Congress MLA Jogi Ramesh refuted the anti-BCs allegations levelled against the government and said that Ravindra was arrested for assaulting a police officer during the Machilipatnam Municipal Corporation elections.