YSR Congress Party president and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s visit to Devarapalli in Eluru district’s Gopalapuram Assembly constituency on Tuesday witnessed chaotic scenes, similar to those seen during several of his recent field visits.
YSRCP workers reportedly breached security arrangements, creating a stampede-like situation near the helipad and engaging in reckless driving on public roads.
The YSRCP, however, accused the coalition government headed by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu of deliberately compromising the former chief minister’s security.
A large number of YSRCP supporters rushed towards the helipad soon after Jagan’s arrival, leading to pushing and shoving in the crowd. The sudden surge caused barricades erected by the authorities to collapse, triggering a stampede-like situation and raising concerns over crowd management during the high-profile political visit.
Elsewhere in Devarapalli, party workers reportedly rode motorcycles at high speed along the town’s main roads, allegedly violating traffic rules and endangering public safety.
Several riders had removed the silencers from their motorcycles, causing excessive noise, while others performed dangerous stunts at road junctions, disrupting traffic and inconveniencing local residents.
Amid the chaotic scenes, YSRCP leaders alleged that the coalition government had deliberately withdrawn police bandobast to disrupt Jagan’s interaction with distressed tobacco farmers.
They claimed that despite earlier security arrangements, police deployment was reduced overnight, leaving inadequate security at the helipad and throughout the programme.
The party maintained that the government had failed to provide the minimum security required for a former chief minister entitled to Z+ security cover, thereby exposing him to unnecessary risk.
According to YSRCP leaders, the alleged security lapse was a calculated attempt to obstruct Jagan’s visit instead of addressing the grievances of tobacco farmers.
The party announced that it would submit a formal complaint to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs over what it described as a serious security lapse.
It also demanded the resignation of the state Home Minister for failing to ensure the safety of the YSRCP chief.
Despite the alleged shortcomings in the security arrangements, YSRCP leaders claimed that thousands of farmers attended the programme voluntarily and gave Jagan a warm reception, which they said reflected continued public support for his leadership.
