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Following the murder of Araku Valley MLA Kidari Sarveswara Rao and ex-MLA Siveri Soma by Naxals, the Araku and Dumbriguda police stations were vandalised and set on fire by supporters of the two MLAs.
The protesters said that the police did not provide adequate security to the two leaders, and blamed the police for their death.
While the police reportedly tried to pacify them, it did not work, and the crowd that had gathered, began to vandalise the police station and set things on fire.
The crowd stopped the vehicles with the bodies and protested in front of the Araku Police Station. Visuals show people barging into the police station, throwing out and kicking tables, chairs, setting tables and files on fire, and even some bikes being set ablaze.
Sarveswara Rao and Siveri Soma were gunned down near Thutangi village, about 125 km from coastal city of Visakhapatnam, when they were reportedly returning after attending a party function. They were shot from point blank range.
They were allegedly intercepted by a group of armed Naxals while they were returning in two vehicles.
After ordering others to leave, they began talking to the MLA and the former MLA about their alleged role in mining in agency areas. They later pumped bullets into the two leaders, killing them on the spot. Both were shot in the head and chest.
Director General of Police, C Srikanth, said that the crime occurred between noon and 1 pm, about 15 km from the Odisha border. He said that the Naxals snatched the weapons from the two leaders' security guards before sending them away.
Senior police officials rushed to the spot as the bodies were taken to the King George Hospital at Visakhapatnam for autopsy.
In 2016, Sarveswara Rao switched loyalties to the TDP. In July this year, tribals had protested against the MLA for allegedly obtaining mining lease in the name of his brother-in-law. They had alleged that quarrying of black stones was damaging the houses of tribals at Guda village.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister N Chinna Rajappa said that a probe will be conducted to find out how the Naxals managed to attack the two leaders.
He pointed out that Naxal activities in Andhra Pradesh were controlled in the last four years, though they were reported to be active in neighbouring Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Telangana.
(This was has been published in an arrangement with The News Minute)
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