Mild tension prevailed at the protest site at Kurmannapalem in Gajuwaka, when police tried to arrest leaders and members of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and employees of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, who were staging a sit-in against the privatization of the plant here. on Saturday.
In view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to Visakhapatnam, from Friday night, the VUPPC had called for a mass boycott from work and urged the employees to come to the protest site along with their family members to express their protest. did. ,
Altogether around 500 members, some along with their families, were present at the spot when the police reached the spot in the afternoon and arrested about 46 of them and sent them to Pendurathi police station.
Ayodhya Ram is among the leaders of the VUPPC and Left parties arrested. Ch. Adinarayana, Stalin, Jaggu Naidu and Minister Rajasekhar.
Later in the day, police also detained CPI state vice-president JV Satyanarayana Murthy and some other leaders.
“It was a peaceful protest and we have every right to express our protest, which is guaranteed by the Constitution. Arresting and detaining leaders is undemocratic and condemnable,” said the chairman of VUPPC Ch. Narasimha Rao.
The VUPPC plans to organize a three-day mass protest from Friday and on Saturday they have organized several events including holding meetings at the gate.
Shri Narasimha Rao also questioned the intention of the state government. “Till now we were under the impression that the state government supports our movement and demanded cancellation of the privatization program of the central government. But today’s action is now making us doubt its real intentions, as they seem to be silently supporting the central government.
Condemning the arrest, Mr. Satyanarayana Murthy said the protest was being conducted peacefully inside a camp and it is located around 26 km from the city. He said there was no need for arrest.
Fearing arrest, many leaders have gone underground. This has been the working style of the YSR Congress Party government. They want to stop any kind of protest and detain prominent leaders, Mr. Satyanarayana Murthy said.