YSR Congress MLA abuses police officers; arrested

Hyderabad, Jul 3: YSR Congress Party MLA Bhuma Nagireddy was today arrested on charge of abusing police officers in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh during MLC elections, police said.

The Opposition party legislator from Nandyal in Kurnool district was booked under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 - one of the police officers is a Dalit - and relevant Sections of IPC.

The incident occurred when elections to vacant seats of the Legislative Council under the Local Authorities Constituency quota in Nandyal, about 300 km from here, were underway, they said.

The YSR Congress leader picked up an "argument and shouted" at on-duty police officers, claiming his daughter Bhuma Akhila Priya, the MLA from Allagadda in Kurnool, was not allowed to sit near the polling booth, where she had come to exercise her franchise, a senior police officer told PTI over phone.

"Akhila Priya had come to vote. She sat outside the centre for 45 minutes. She was supposed to leave after casting her vote. Police officers requested her to leave the place citing election rules.

However, she rang up her father and told him police were not allowing her to sit near the polling booth," the police officer explained.

Nagireddy soon arrived at the spot and asked the police to show him the election rules. He then started abusing two police officers and even used unparliamentary language against them, he said.

One of the aggrieved police officers (a Dalit) lodged a complaint after which Nagireddy was booked under SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and IPC Sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), he said.

The legislator was subsequently arrested, he said. As the news of Nagireddy's arrest spread, a large number of his supporters and YSR Congress workers gathered outside the Nandyal police station, where he was taken.

Police are maintaining a strict vigil and situation in the town is under control, a police officer said.

PTI