Kapu meet for BC status turns violent, agitators set Ratnachal Express on fire

Agitators accuse chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu of failing to keep his promise to the Kapu community to include them in the list

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Agitators belonging to the Kapu community, seeking inclusion in the Backward Class (BC) list, set on fire four coaches of Vijayawada-bound Ratnachal Express at Tuni railway station in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday.

Resorting to stone pelting and injuring several railway officials, the public meeting - Kapu Aaikya Garjana - took a violent turn with agitators blocking railway lines and national highways.

Vehicular movement on the Chennai-Kolkata national highway came to a standstill. While some trains have been delayed, some others including Visakhapatnam-Kakinada passenger and Visakhapatnam-Rajahmundry passenger, and 15 other Vijayawada-bound trains were cancelled. It was reported over 200,000 protestors had blocked the Chennai- Kolkata national highway .

According to a release issue by South Central Railway, Vijayawada-Visakhapatnam Ratnachal Express was stopped at 15.20 hours between Tuni and Hamsavaram railway stations on Rajahmundry – Visakhapatnam section of Vijayawada Division by 'Kapunadu Garjana' agitators, who sat on the track, climbed on the locomotive and damaged hose pipe/ glasses of the locomotive.

South Central Railway CPRO M Umashankar Kumar said, "After the passengers in the coaches got down from the train, four coaches were set on fire. However, passengers are safe".

The agitators also set the Tuni rural police station on fire, besides manhandling police personnel. Confirming the incident, state Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) R P Thakur told PTI: "They have set on fire four bogies of the train besides damaging some police vehicles including torching two police vehicles."

Accusing chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu of failing to keep his promise to the Kapu community to include them in the Backward Classes List, the protesters said the chief minister has only formed a commission to look into their  demands.  

Meanwhile, Naidu called an emergency meeting in Hyderabad to discuss the issue. TDP leaders have accused the YSR Congress and the Congress party for flaring up the issue. YSRC leader Botsa Satyanarayan and Congress leaders Pallam Raju and Vatti Vasantha Kumar have extended support to the Kapu movement.

It may be recalled that the Andhra Pradesh government had in 2015 announced that it would include the Kapu community under the BC category and set up a committee to study the proportion of reservation to be granted to them, besides sanctioning Rs 1,000 crore annually for their economic development. Post the bifurcation, the Kapu community constitutes 27 per cent of Andhra Pradesh's population.

Earlier in the day, the meeting was presided by Kapu leader and former minister Mudragada Padmanabham, who accused Chandrababu Naidu of playing vote bank politics during the Assembly elections and failing to keep his promises even after 18 months of coming into power.

"Chandrababu is solely responsible for the present situation as he has driven Kapus to streets in frustration by giving them false promises of inclusion in the BC category. Let the CM realise the gravity of the situation," Padmanabham said at the meeting.