The violence that occurred in Amalapuram town in Andhra Pradesh's Konaseema district on Tuesday, with an enraged crowd setting fire to the homes of state transport minister Pinipe Vishawarup and Mummidivaram mla Ponnada Satish, shocked and surprised the entire state. Normally, no one would object to a location or structure being named after mahatma gandhi or B R Ambedkar, the fathers of the constitution.
Perhaps andhra pradesh Chief minister Y S jagan Mohan reddy felt the same way and expected the ruling YSRC to gain a lot of support among the Dalits who dominate the Konaseema area. However, the administration did not anticipate protests even in response to Ambedkar's name. The protestors, who appeared to be from upper caste groups such as the Kapus, opposed the decision and have been campaigning against the district's name.
They demand that the name Konaseema not be preceded by any other name. They created a united action committee called Konaseema Zilla Sadhana Samithi, which has been fighting the district's renaming. This sparked violent agitation on Tuesday, with protesters pelting stones at police officers, including the superintendent of police, and torching multiple vehicles, including a school bus. The incident left a few police officers hurt.
Perhaps andhra pradesh Chief minister Y S jagan Mohan reddy felt the same way and expected the ruling YSRC to gain a lot of support among the Dalits who dominate the Konaseema area. However, the administration did not anticipate protests even in response to Ambedkar's name. The protestors, who appeared to be from upper caste groups such as the Kapus, opposed the decision and have been campaigning against the district's name.
They demand that the name Konaseema not be preceded by any other name. They created a united action committee called Konaseema Zilla Sadhana Samithi, which has been fighting the district's renaming. This sparked violent agitation on Tuesday, with protesters pelting stones at police officers, including the superintendent of police, and torching multiple vehicles, including a school bus. The incident left a few police officers hurt.
