A scuffle broke out between local BJP leaders and a group of students, who, according to the party men stormed into the party office here and tried to burn the effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi inside to demand special status for Andhra Pradesh.
While the BJP lodged a police complaint that the students trespassed into the party office and tried to burn PM's effigy inside, the students, who are members of the Students' Joint Action Committee (JAC), filed a counter-complaint stating that the BJP leaders attacked them unprovoked, police said.
"Around 5 pm, around 40 students led by Ravi Kiran, a law student from Visakhapatnam, arrived at the BJP office with PM's effigy and tried to enter the office shouting slogans in favour of special status for AP. They attempted to burn the effigy. We sensed the situation and immediately pounced on them," a BJP leader said.
Six of the students, including Ravi Kiran, were handed over to Suryaraopet police, who landed on the scene after being alerted.
"The students have been taken into custody and being questioned," Suryaraopet police station Inspector Rajesh told PTI.
Students' JAC leader Ravi Kiran alleged that they raised the slogans by demanding special status and did not enter into the BJP office.
However, BJP state general secretary J Shyam Kishore said, "In democracy they have every right to express their dissent, but have no right to enter the party office and burn the effigy of PM inside it."
Meanwhile, former Congress MLA and party's city president Malladi Vishnu and PCC spokesperson Kolanukonda Shivaji have demanded action against the BJP leaders for "attacking" the students.
The Congress leaders went to Suryaraopet police station and demanded that the police also file a case against BJP.
