A YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) worker identified as Thota Venkateswarlu was brutally attacked with iron rods in Gundlapadu village of Palnadu district allegedly by Telugu Desam Party (TDP) activists on Tuesday, June 25. The incident, caught on video, shows three men beating up Venkateswarlu with iron rods as he screams in pain. While a woman tries to stop the beating, she is pushed aside and beaten as well.
TDP workers allegedly questioned Venkateswarlu as to why he continued to stay in Gundlapadu while every other YSRCP worker fled the village after the party lost the Assembly elections. The district of Palnadu, has witnessed several clashes between TDP and YSRCP workers over the last few years. Post their electoral victory, the TDP-Jana Sena alliance has been accused of perpetuating violence against YSRCP workers. The district witnessed heavy violence during and post the election leading to police imposed curfew.
Following the violence, former Rajya Sabha YSRCP MP Vijaysai Reddy wrote to President of India Droupadi Murmu on June 12, asking her to prevent attacks against YSRCP cadre.
“We urge you to ensure that the perpetrators of this violence are duly punished and to implement measures to prevent further attacks on YSRCP members in Andhra Pradesh,” Vijaysai Reddy wrote. The letter was sent to the President along with an annexure containing instances of violence against the YSRCP.
Macherla constituency under which Gundlapadu falls also witnessed clashes between the workers after YSRCP’s MLA candidate Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy was captured on camera on May 13, destroying Electronic Voting Machines (EVMS), while polling was in progress. The MLA aspirant who went on to lose the elections, allegedly left for Hyderabad after the news broke. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) is still investigating the case and Ramakrishna Reddy is likely to be arrested for tampering with the polling process.
Palnadu was the epicenter of the violence as 22 of the 33 instances emerged from Narsaraopeta (10), Macherla (8), and Gurzala (4) constituencies in the district. A total of 581 people were accused of participating in violence, and visuals on local news channels showed several residents injured, destruction of property and vehicles in acts of arson, and mob attacks.