The day-long bandh in Andhra Pradesh, called by the YSR Congress to protest the arrest of its leader and Kadapa MP Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, on Monday evoked a mixed response in the state, where a bus driver died in stone pelting. Mr Reddy, son of former chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, was arrested by the CBI on Sunday in a disproportionate assets case.
The bandh was by and large peaceful, the police said, adding that the state and Central government offices, banks and business establishments functioned normally.
While there was partial response in some parts of rural areas in coastal Andhra, the bandh call had little impact in Telangana region, they said.
Hundreds of YSR Congress workers and leaders were taken into preventive custody, particularly in Rayalseema and coastal Andhra, when they tried to stage dharnas on roads, police said. In Hyderabad, the shutdown call had no impact and state-owned buses plied as usual. In neighbouring Rangareddy district, suspected supporters of YSR Congress pelted stones on two RTC buses and one private bus at Ibrahimpatnam. Accordi-ng to the police, driver of the private bus died due to injuries suffered in the stone pelting. Reports from Visakhapatnam said the bandh evoked poor response in north coastal districts. Security was tightened in Visakhapatnam, Vizianag-aram and Srikakulam districts.