Police lathi-charged people protested at the district headquarters against the proposal to rename the newly formed district Konaseema as BR Ambedkar Konaseema district in the state’s Amalapuram city. Violence broke out. The house of Transport Minister Pinipe Viswarupwas set ablaze in the violence. However, the police took the minister and his family out safely.
Several policemen were injured as the protesters pelted stones after the lathi charge. A police vehicle and an educational institution bus were also torched. State Home Minister Taneti Vanitha alleged that some political parties and anti-social elements instigated the arson. “It is unfortunate that around 20 police personnel have been injured in the incident. We will investigate the matter and bring the guilty to justice.”
On April 4, the Konaseema district was formed by separating it from the East Godavari district. Last week, the state government invited objections from the people by issuing a preliminary notification to rename Konaseema district to BR Ambedkar Konaseema district.
After this, Konaseema Sadhana Samiti objected to the proposal to change the name and demanded that the district’s name remain as Konaseema. The committee organized a demonstration on Tuesday while trying to submit a memorandum to the District Magistrate Himanshu Shukla against the renaming of the district. The police tried to stop the protesters, due to which the protesters became furious, and eventually, there was an incident of arson in the quiet Amalapuram.