TDP leader and former Minister Ayyanna Patrudu arrested in Narsipatnam

The TDP leader’s son Ch Rajesh, who is a councillor from TDP, was also arrested during the early hours of Thursday.

Former Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) senior leader Ch Ayyanna Patrudu  was arrested by the officials from AP CID from his house in Narsipatnam in Anakapalli district, during the early hours of Thursday, November 3, 2022. The TDP leader’s son Ch Rajesh, who is a local Councillor representing TDP, was also arrested.

About 200 police personnel including from the CID and of CID had reached Mr. Ayyanna Patrudu’s house at around 2.30 a.m. to 3 a.m., the leader’s family members said. Tension prevailed as the family members of Ayyanna Patrudu got involved in heated exchanges with the police, even as they alleged that the police personnel had come armed with wire cutters and forced their entry into the house, by pasting an arrest notice at the gate.

The senior leader was arrested at around 4 a.m. for alleged encroachment of land and forgery. The police have reportedly registered cases under various IPC sections for forgery such as 464,467,471 and 474, which according to a police officer a few of them are non-bailable sections. It is learnt that he was served two notices.

Upon coming to know about the arrest, a large number of Mr. Ayyanna Patrudu’s supporters from TDP, reached his house and entered into a heated argument with the personnel and raised slogans against the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government.

Speaking to the media, the kin of the TDP leaders questioned the need to arrest him during midnight as if they were thieves. The YSRCP govt has been ‘torturing their family’ since the last three years, they alleged. They also said that Ayyanna and Rajesh have a threat to their lives.

Though there were speculations of Mr. Ayyanna Patrudu being shifted to Rajahmundry and Eluru, the CID officials initially shifted him to the CID office in Visakhaptnam. Senior party leaders including Visakhapatnam East MLA V. Ramakrishna Babu, Palla Srinivasa Rao, and others who reached the office were taken under preventive custody and shifted to different police stations.

TDP leaders from Anakapalli,  Visakhapatnam and Srikakulam regions including TDP State president K. Atchannaidu, Kala Venkat Rao and others condemned the arrest of Ayyanna Patrudu.