Vizag airport violence: 61 JSP men released on bail

Visakhapatnam: A city court has granted bail to 61 leaders and workers of the Jana Sena Party (JSP) arrested for attack on ministers and others at Visakhapatnam Airport on October 15.

The police late on Sunday night produced 70 arrested men before the VIIth Metropolitan Magistrate. Of them, 61 were granted bail on a personal bond of Rs 10,000 each.

The magistrate sent the remaining nine accused to judicial custody till October 28. However, section 307 (attempt to murder) booked against them was altered to 326 (Voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means).

A member of JSP’s legal team said the magistrate found fault with the way procedure was adopted by the police and replaced section 307 with 326.

The police had booked a total of 92 leaders and workers of the JSP in connection with the attack. Of them 70 were arrested.

The JSP led by actor-politician Pawan Kalyan alleged that the police kept shifting the arrested men from one police station to another on Saturday night and it was only on Sunday evening that the legal team came to know that they will be produced before the magistrate.

Convoys of tourism minister R.K. Roja and other leaders of the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) were attacked by a mob at the airport on Saturday evening. The incident occurred when YSRCP leaders were returning from Visakhapatnam after attending ‘Visakha Garjana’ rally organised by the ruling party in support of three state capitals while Pawan Kalyan was arriving in the city to address JSP programme ‘Jana Vani’.

The city police booked two separate cases for the attacks on vehicles of YSRCP leaders as well as the police personnel. The cases were booked under various sections of the IPC on a complaint by M. Dilip Kumar, personal assistant to minister Roja.

The incident sparked tension in the area. Pawan Kalyan, who reached a hotel for a rally from the airport, was later barred from addressing any meeting and rally. The actor remained confined to the hotel on R.K. Beach while a large number of his party workers and fans gathered outside.

The JSP leader has condemned the high-handed behaviour of the police and demanded the immediate release of all JSP leaders and workers. He denied involvement of the JSP in the incident at the airport.

Pawan Kalyan slammed the YSRCP government headed by Jagan Mohan Reddy for what he called attempts to suppress voices of dissent. Terming YSRCP an epitome of criminalisation of politics, the actor said he was ready to face cases and even go to jail in his fight against criminalisation of politics.