VIJAYAWADA: The restoration of an old road for legislators to reach Assembly and Amaravati turned into a police bastion with almost 5,000 police personnel posted at Velagapudi, Mandadam and adjacent areas of Amaravati to contain the Assembly gherao protest called by Amaravati farmers and opposition parties.
The three-day Assembly sessions would be held from January 20 to discuss and pass distributed capitals proposal. But the farmers, who are protesting for the past 32 days demanding continuation of Amaravati as the only Capital of the State, have planned to gherao the Assembly. An alternative road to reach Assembly is being laud.
Earlier the protesting farmers squatted on the roads of Amaravati proceeding to Secretariat and Assembly, tried to barge into the Secretariat, conducted rallies causing traffic jams and further squatted on the Vijayawada-Chennai national highway-16 at Chinna Kakani where the road blockade protest turned into a ruckus due to attack on YSRC MLA Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy.
The farmers, along with TD cadre, came in small groups and stalled traffic on NH-16. They also attacked media personnel at Uddandarayunipalem.
Later, women tried to conduct devotional Durga Pongallu procession, which created unhealthy scenes between the police and protesters with the former resorting to lathi-charge.
In view of the recurring violence incidents, the police deployed 5,000 police in Amaravati to take control. The Z road from Krishanayapalem to Assembly is getting repaired to reroute the legislators.
