Six arrested after Congress faction clash in Mancherial

Six persons were arrested after a clash between rival Congress factions at Thallapet in Mancherial district. Three supporters of MLA Premsagar Rao were injured. Police deployed additional personnel amid fears of retaliation following earlier tensions during Bathukamma celebrations.

Mancherial: Clashes between factions led by local MLA Kokkirala Premsagar Rao and dissenting leader M Jaganmohan Rao erupted once again at Thallapet on Tuesday night, exposing internal conflict within the Congress.

In the latest clash, followers of Premsagar Rao were allegedly assaulted by supporters of Jaganmohan Rao, a Congress leader, at around 11 pm. The groups reportedly attacked each other, triggering mild tension for a while. Three followers of Premsagar Rao sustained injuries after being assaulted by supporters of Jaganmohan Rao. They were shifted to a hospital in Mancherial.

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Six persons were arrested on Wednesday on charges of assaulting and abusing two followers of Premsagar Rao. The accused were identified as Akula Rajender, Suresh, Vijay, Kiran, Vijay Varadhan and Kumaraswamy, all from the village and belonging to Jaganmohan Rao’s faction. They were charged with assaulting Akula Rajendra Prasad and his nephew Akira Nandan, both from the same village.

To prevent further clashes, a heavy police force was deployed in the village. DCP A Bhaskar rushed to the spot and supervised the situation. He said the situation was under control. He cautioned that stern action would be taken against those who tried to disturb law and order in the peaceful village.

However, residents of the nondescript village expressed concern over the clashes. They regretted that the factional infighting had disturbed the tranquillity of the village during the Dussehra festival. They urged officials to take steps to prevent clashes between the two factions and restore peace in the village.

Earlier, Rajendra Prasad, a staunch supporter of Premsagar Rao, reportedly threw crackers at women followers of Jaganmohan Rao when they were celebrating the Saddula Bathukamma festival on Sunday night. The two groups clashed over the issue, resulting in mild tension during the immersion.

Meanwhile, security was stepped up amid fears that followers of Premsagar Rao would attack Jaganmohan Rao’s house in Mancherial town in retaliation for the assault on the MLA’s supporters at Thallapet. Around 400 police personnel were deployed at Rao’s residence in Gouthaminagar. It was speculated that Jaganmohan Rao would be detained as a preventive measure.