BJP leaders assault protesting students

Vijayawada: BJP leaders assaulted students who tried to stage a dharna at the State BJP party office here on Sunday.

Local BJP leaders who got prior information of the protest waited at the party office and attacked the students when they reached the office area. The students were demanding grant of special status for Andhra Pradesh. The BJP partymen also snatched away an effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which the students brought to burn in front of the party office.

The partymen thrashed some students with the black flag sticks brought for the protest, while others were slapped and dragged till the end of the street that housed the party office. Eye witnesses say that, though a few police personnel were present in the area they remained mute spectators and did not intervene.

Tension prevailed in the area for sometime before BJP state secretary Srinivas lodged a police complaint against the students. Student JAC members J Ravikiran, Durga Nagaraju, K Teja and Niranjan were taken into custody by the police.