At least 20 leaders of various student and youth unions were arrested at the SRR and CVR Government Degree College at Machavaram on Wednesday for trying to enforce a bandh, as part of their “KG-to-PG’ bandh call in protest against the Centre’s decision to privatise the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and in support of their demand for establishment of the Kadapa steel industry.
The student and youth leaders went around the city and enforced bandh in educational institutions. Even as they reached the SRR and CVR Degree College, the police arrested them and shifted them to the Gunadala police station.
Later, speaking to the media, the leaders criticised use of force by the police personnel to remove them from the protest site and claimed that most educational institutions voluntarily closed their schools and colleges as they were opposed to the proposed privatisation move.
