Kyathanpalli civic meeting turns tense as police clash with BRS leaders

Tension broke out in Kyathanpalli when police stopped BRS leaders from entering a special municipal meeting. A lathi-charge resulted in injuries on both sides. The meeting was postponed to the following day due to a lack of quorum and a dispute over voting procedures

Mancherial: Tension prevailed briefly when police stopped BRS leaders from entering the premises of Kyathanpalli Municipality for a special meeting convened to elect the chairperson and vice-chairperson on Tuesday.

BRS leaders, led by district president Balka Suman and Asifabad MLA Kova Lakshmi, were stopped by the police while they, along with the party’s councillors, were heading to the municipal office via a flyover, citing norms. They argued with the police for not allowing them to accompany the party councillors. Police and BRS leaders jostled during the confrontation.

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Police resorted to a lathi-charge against BRS leaders and activists, resulting in injuries to both police personnel and BRS cadres. The confrontation led to tension, with the municipal office premises resembling a battleground. BRS cadres raised slogans against the police, criticising them for showing overenthusiasm under the guise of enforcing norms.

Suman said they were accompanying the councillors to prevent the alleged abduction of BRS-CPI councillors by Congress, which, he claimed, was illegally attempting to secure the chairperson post despite winning only four wards in the 22-member Kyathanpalli municipality, disrespecting the mandate of the electors. He further alleged that the police were acting under the direction of Labour Minister Dr G Vivek and Peddapalli MP V Vamshi Krishna.

The BRS-CPI alliance emerged as the largest bloc, winning 14 wards in the 22-member Kyathanpalli municipality. However, the BRS alleged that Congress leaders created trouble by entering the municipal premises in a bid to capture the chairperson post on Monday. Amid tense scenes, the meeting was postponed to Tuesday due to lack of quorum.

The BRS councillors said they were prepared to attend the special meeting and elect their chairperson. They regretted that the Congress was insisting on silent voting, which they claimed was against norms, and urged officials to convene the meeting and allow them to elect their chairperson.