Amaravati: TDP Urges Withdrawal of Cases Against Media and BJP Candidate in Visakhapatnam
The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has called for the withdrawal of cases filed against media personnel and BJP Assembly polls candidate Vishnukumar Raju in Visakhapatnam. State unit President Kinjerapu Atchen Naidu alleged that Visakhapatnam police, in collaboration with leaders from the ruling YSR Congress Party, registered FIRs against these individuals.
In a letter addressed to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and copied to Avinash Kumar, the Principal Secretary of the Election Commission of India in New Delhi, the state Director General of Police, the special general observer of the poll panel, and the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Atchen Naidu emphasized that these actions aimed at media personnel amounted to stifling press freedom.
Highlighting the incident in Kancharapalem, Visakhapatnam, where two women were grievously injured allegedly for not voting for the YSRCP, Atchen Naidu condemned the post-poll violence and stressed the Election Commission’s role in curbing such incidents.
He further alleged that media personnel reporting on the attack were targeted by YSRCP leaders, and instead of addressing the issue, local police colluded by filing cases against them. Regarding BJP candidate Vishnukumar Raju, who denounced the attack on the women during a press conference, Atchen Naidu noted that an FIR was subsequently lodged against him.
“To uphold fairness, we urge the withdrawal of these cases against the media personnel and Mr. Vishnukumar Raju. Additionally, we request action against police officers who failed to prevent post-poll violence and are now implicated in restricting press freedom,” Atchen Naidu stated in his letter.
