Congress worker Sunkara gets bail, was held for releasing black balloons near PM Modi’s chopper

Congress worker Sunkara Padmashree in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, was granted bail on Tuesday. She was arrested for releasing black balloons into the flight path of PM Modi’s chopper.

Congress worker Sunkara Padmashree in Andhra Pradesh, who was arrested for protesting during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state, was granted bail at 2 am from Gannavaram Police Station on Tuesday.

She was arrested along with three other Congress workers for releasing black balloons into the flight path of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mi-17 helicopter minutes after he took off from the Vijayawada International Airport on Monday, an incident that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) flagged as a security breach.

#WATCH | A Congress worker released black balloons moments after PM Modi's chopper took off, during his visit to Andhra Pradesh.(Source: unverified) pic.twitter.com/ZYRlAyUcZK

The arrests were made for violating prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in and around the airport.

After her release, Sunkara Padmashree said, “Protesting is a right in democracy but we, along with leaders who did not join the protest and were at home, were arrested. The chief minister is taking selfies with the PM, but they have no courage to ask him about the promise he made regarding the Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh.”