TDP, YSRCP workers clash at DSC protest in Vijayawada, Vizag; Malladi Vishnu taken into custody
Tension gripped the Muthyalampadu area of Vijayawada on Thursday (August 6, 2026) after workers and supporters of the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the
Tension gripped the Muthyalampadu area of Vijayawada on Thursday (August 6, 2026) after workers and supporters of the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Opposition YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) clashed, prompting heavy police deployment. The YSRCP had launched a hunger strike protest under the leadership of former MLA Malladi Vishnu, seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the DSC-2025 recruitment process. A scuffle breaks out between police and YSRCP workers in Vijayawada on Thursday. The party was on a relay hunger strike seeking a CBI inquiry into DSC-2025 and the resignation of Education Minister Nara Lokesh when TDP workers took down its tent. Photos: K.V.S. Giri pic.twitter.com/Psbms6iGBF — The Hindu - Andhra Pradesh (@THAndhra) August 6, 2026 The situation turned tense when TDP leaders, led by Vijayawada (Central) MLA Bonda Umamaheswara Rao, arrived at the protest site and alleged that the hunger strike camp had been set up without official permission. They also accused YSRCP members of making objectionable remarks against HRD Minister Nara Lokesh. The two sides exchanged accusations and heated arguments, which escalated into scuffles. Tensions rose further after TDP workers allegedly removed the tent erected for the protest, and YSRCP workers tried to stop them. Umamaheswara Rao reportedly put up a flex banner expressing gratitude to Mr. Lokesh at the spot where the protest had been held. Police personnel, deployed in large numbers, intervened and brought the situation under control.
They took Mr. Vishnu into custody, saying the protest was being conducted without the necessary permission, and moved him to a police station. YSRCP leaders alleged that individuals carrying TDP flags attacked him while he was being taken from the protest site. The police later cleared the hunger strike camp and dispersed the YSRCP supporters gathered there. TDP Mahila wing activists, meanwhile, staged a sit-in at the site, carrying yellow party flags and printed placards featuring TDP leaders, and raising slogans including “Down Down YCP”. The protesters blocked roads, and the police, along with special security forces, moved into the crowd to restrain them and prevent them from marching further or blocking main thoroughfares. Several activists, women and men, sat on the road and resisted attempts to move them into security vehicles. Some who tried to breach barricades were rounded up, along with local leaders, and taken into preventive custody. TDP workers pulled down the tent put up for a YSRCP relay hunger strike. The YSRCP is seeking a CBI inquiry into the conduct of DSC-2025 and the resignation of Nara Lokesh, the HRD Minister. TDP MLA Bonda Umamaheswara Rao said the tent was blocking traffic. Video: K.V.S. Giri pic.twitter.com/veReS6YfUd — The Hindu - Andhra Pradesh (@THAndhra) August 6, 2026 The police then attempted to clear the blockade and restore traffic flow. Women police officers stepped in to remove protesters sitting on the road, leading to heated exchanges and some shoving.
The BriefWire