At least 15 policemen were injured when a stir by Kapu community members seeking reservation under the Backward Class category turned violent as the agitators went on a rampage, setting on fire four coaches of the Ratnachal Express at Tuni station and blocking the national highway-16 in East Godavari district.
They have set on fire four bogies of the train beside damaging some police vehicles including torching two police vehicles. Our people are trying to control the situation. Additional forces have been rushed to the spot.R P Thakur, state Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order)
The protesters withdrew the blockade on the national highway, connecting Kolkata and Chennai, late Sunday night. Traffic movement is now back to normal.
A South Central Railway spokesperson said seven trains were cancelled, four others partially cancelled and six diverted on the Vijayawada-Rajahmundry-Visakhapatnam section due to the protest.
Earlier, the agitators, gathered at Tuni to attend a public meeting addressed by their leader and former minister Mudragada Padmanabham, pelted the engine of the train with stones and also attacked police personnel, before ransacking the railway station. Some bogies were also set ablaze.
No passengers were injured in the violence.
After the passengers in the coaches got down from the train, four coaches were set on fire. However, passengers are safe.M Umashankar Kumar, South Central Railway CPRO
Padmanabham asked the government to issue orders by Monday to include Kapus in the backward classes list so that they can get the benefit of reservation in education and employment.
He warned that if the government failed to respond by Monday evening, he would launch a fast-unto-death.
The protest forced the authorities to stop all trains running between Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada stations, causing a huge inconvenience to passengers. Road traffic on national highway 16 was also disrupted due to the protests.
Reacting to the incident, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said he was committed to reservation for the community.
I am committed for the reservation for Kapu community for which a Judicial Commission was also constituted.
He said reservation benefits would be extended to the community without exceeding the total reservation by 50 percent as per the decision of the Supreme Court.
However, Padmanabham accused Naidu of giving “false promises” to Kapus on their inclusion in the backward classes category.
Chandrababu is solely responsible for present situation as he has driven Kapus to streets in frustration by giving them false promises of inclusion in BC category. Let the CM realise the gravity of the situation.Mudragada Padmanabham
Protesters also attacked a Tuni (Rural) police station and damaged four police vehicles, besides some private vehicles. South Central Railway General Manager Ravindra Gupta held a disaster control meeting with the higher officials in Hyderabad on Sunday night.
According to a senior police officer from East Godavari district, the situation was under control and peaceful. Additional forces have been deployed to maintain law and order and RPF personnel have been deployed to provide security to railway passengers.
(With inputs from sources.)