Alleging large-scale violence and violations of the poll code in two panchayats in East Godavari district, by the YSR Congress Party leaders and activists, in collusion with a section of the local police, the national president of the TDP N. Chandrababu Naidu has urged the law enforcement department to rein in their ‘erring staff’.

In a letter to the Director General of Police Gautam Sawang, Mr. Naidu accused the YSRCP-backed candidates in Illapalli panchayat in Biccavolu mandal and Anaparty panchayat in Anaparty Assembly segment of harassing the candidates backed by the opposition parties and having false cases booked against them, in collusion with a section of the local police personnel. He urged the DGP to rein in his department staff and initiate stringent action against them.

Mr. Naidu said the ruling party-backed candidate Lolla Bhadram, after winning as a sarpanch, took out a victory rally in the village, which created a scene in front of the house of Tanuku Sridhar, who had contested against him, without any provocation. Mr. Bhadram and his supporters also stopped in front of the local TDP leader Kannuri Raghava’s house and burst crackers and made noise.

When the TDP leader requested them not to burst crackers as it would put his three-month-old grandchild to inconvenience, they physically attacked him and his son Vinod, said Mr. Naidu.

The Biccavolu SI Pati Vasu and his staff beat up Raghava and his son with lathis and abused them in the name of their caste, the TDP president alleged, adding that on the following day, the ruling party leaders attacked Dalit families in Tummalapalli on the outskirts of Illapalli.

Mr. Naidu said the SI behaved in a very rude manner with TDP leader and former Anaparty MLA N. Ramakrishna Reddy who went to Biccavolu police station along with the victims. He staged a protest in front of the police station and it took the intervention of the DSP and Circle Inspector to bring order and a complaint was lodged.

But the SI accepted counter-complaints from the YSRCP leaders and registered cases against the TDP cadre and sympathisers, he said.

Mr. Naidu said the Anaparty police also refused to take a complaint by one Gangadhar from Dalit community who was targeted and attacked for campaigning against the YSRCP-supported candidate in the elections. The complaint against the ruling party activists was not taken till Mr. Ramakrishna Reddy intervened and held talks with the department men.

Mr. Naidu said the DGP should take a serious view of such unprofessional behaviour of his department personnel and initiate strict action against them.