VISAKHAPATNAM: Hundreds of tribals, supporters and party workers of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) attended the last rites of TDP Araku MLA Kidari Sarveswara Rao, who was shot dead by Maoists during his visit to Tottangi Panchayat of Dumbriguda mandal in Visakhapatnam Agency on Sunday, at Paderu on Monday. The last rites of former MLA Siveri Soma were also performed in the presence of a large number of supporters at Araku on Monday.
The Agency areas in Visakhapatnam and Andhra-Odisha border (AOB) were under complete security blanket, with additional police forces deployed by the State government following the Maoists attack and violence at local police stations.
Despite rural police claiming that roads were sanitised, keeping in view the safety aspect, the ministers, MLAs and others flew by helicopter to both Araku and Paderu. Deputy chief minister and Home minister N Chinarajappa, ministers N Anand Babu, KS Jawahar, Ayyannapatrudu and Ganta Srinivasa Rao and district collector Pravin Kumar went to Araku and paid tributes to Siveri Soma and then flew to Paderu, where they attended the cremation of Sarvesvara Rao. A massive rally was taken out at Paderu main road by the supporters with the mortal remains of the MLA and they raised slogans “Amar Rahe Sarveswara Rao”.
The cremation was done with State honours by the police department. All the shops and business establishments however, were closed at Paderu, Araku, and many other Agency areas following the bandh call given by the tribal organisations, condemning the attack on the MLA and his aide by the Maoists. Many RTC bus services to interior areas from Visakhapatnam and even shuttle services in the Agency areas, especially in the Maoist- affected areas, such as G Madugula, GK Veedhi, Sileru, Jolapuutu and Munchingputtu were cancelled.
APSRTC regional manager, Visakhapatnam district, G Sudesh Kumar said that buses from Visakhapatnam to Araku, which were suspended from Sunday afternoon, resumed at 10 am on Monday.
However, buses to interior areas were suspended, he said. Local tribals depended on auto-rickshaws and jeeps to reach the mandal headquarters.
Kanna sees intelligence failure
Vijayawada: Condemning the murder of Araku MLA Kidari Sarveswara Rao and former MLA Siveri Soma by Maoists, BJP state president Kanna Lakshminarayana on Monday blamed police intelligence failure for their deaths and held the State government responsible it.
Speaking to reporters here, he said that after 2014, police intelligence system in the State has failed as Chandrababu Naidu was engaging it for his own surveys with regard to party’s chances in next elections and other issues. He also wondered as to how the State government can provide security to common man when it cannot even protect people’s representatives. There is no scope for violence in a democracy, he said