ADILABAD: Three days after TRS MLA Konneru Konappa’s brother thrashed a forest range officer in Sirpur’s Sarsalla village, leaders of the Congress and Communist parties have been stopped from visiting the village, and were also arrested by the police here on Wednesday. Adilabad’s Congress party district in-charge, P Harish, and his followers were taken into preventive custody by the Kagaznagar police when they tried to enter Sarsala village. Harish was supposed to study the ground-level situation in the village ahead of the visit by a team of MLAs to Sarsala village. 

He further alleged that the arrest of leaders shows how the police is trying to clamp down the voices of opposition leaders in the State. “A new video has gone viral on social media and now Konneru Konappa should resign from his post,” Harish said. He was referring to a video doing the rounds online, showing the MLA’s brother, Krishna attacking the tractor drivers who came to the field with the forest range officer on the fateful day. 

Meanwhile, in Mancherial district, communist party leaders, including the State secretary Thamineni Virabhadram, wanted to visit Sarsala village but were arrested by the police. They alleged that the ruling party wants to hide its failures and restrict the opposition when they try to point them out. “MLA and his brother are only creating trouble for innocent podu cultivators in district,” Virabhadram. 

‘Ruling party wants to hide its failures and restrict the opposition’  
In Mancherial district, communist party leaders, including the State secretary Thamineni Virabhadram, who wanted to visit sarsala village were arrested by the police. The move by the police agitated the party members. They alleged that the ruling party wants to hide its failures and restrict the opposition when they try to point them out. While speaking to the Express, party State secretary Thamineni Virabhadram said, “The MLA and his brother are only creating trouble for innocent podu cultivators in the district.”   

Indrakaran visits assaulted forest officer Anitha 
Adilabad: Forests Minister A Indrakaran Reddy on Wednesday said Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao would soon take steps to resolve the issues of podu lands farmers. Reddy was visiting Korata village in Boath mandal to meet Forest Range Officer Ch Anitha, who was attacked by Koneru Krishna, the brother of Sirpur MLA Koneru Kanappa, to inquire about her health.