Chippagiri, Kurnool, August 2: YSRCP leaders condemned the midnight arrest of Alur MLA Virupakshi, describing it as a blatant misuse of the police machinery to further the coalition government’s politics of vendetta. Protesting outside Chippagiri Police Station, they said the government had turned Andhra Pradesh into a “Jungle Raj,” where Opposition leaders were being targeted through fabricated cases while ruling party leaders enjoyed complete protection.
The leaders stated that MLA Virupakshi rushed to Chippagiri only after receiving a distress call from YSRCP activist Giri, whose life was said to be under threat. Instead of protecting the victim, TDP workers attacked the MLA and his brother with stones and sticks, leaving his brother with a fractured hand. However, police registered attempt-to-murder and SC/ST Atrocities cases against the victims themselves while ignoring the attackers. They said Virupakshi was kept waiting for hours at the police station when he attempted to lodge a complaint, but no action was taken.
YSRCP leaders condemned the manner of the arrest, stating that police broke open the doors of the MLA’s residence at around 3 a.m., seized CCTV hard disks, and forcibly took away the MLA and his son without allowing them to even change their clothes. They said such treatment was unthinkable for an elected legislator and reflected the collapse of democratic governance. Virupakshi’s wife questioned what protection ordinary citizens could expect when even an MLA could be subjected to such treatment.
The party said the government had abandoned constitutional governance in favour of “Red Book rule,” using police as political instruments to intimidate Opposition leaders and workers ahead of the upcoming local body elections. YSRCP leaders asserted that intimidation would not weaken the party’s resolve and vowed to continue both legal and democratic battles against what they described as systematic political persecution. They demanded the immediate and unconditional release of MLA Virupakshi, his son Chandrasekhar and the 15 arrested YSRCP workers, besides action against those responsible for the attack on the MLA and party activists.
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