The State government has decided to withdraw 175 cases that have been booked against the protesters during the ‘Kapu Garjana’ organised at Tuni in East Godavari district in January 2016. The government has issued orders to this effect.
The government had earlier withdrawn 153 cases against the agitators.
The meeting, which was organised in support of the demand to include the Kapu community in Backward Classes (BCs) list, had turned violent when thousands of participants marched towards the railway station in Tuni and torched the Ratnachal Express.
The agitators had allegedly set four bogies on fire and attacked the railway station as well. They had also allegedly attacked the police station and torched a few vehicles there, besides blocking the Chennai-Kolkata National Highway.
A few policemen on duty and members of the public were injured when some protesters pelted stones.
Cases were registered against the violent protesters in various police stations such as Amalapuram, Pithapuram, Allavaram, Inavalli, Katrenikona, Tuni, Karapa, Gollaprolu, Rangampeta, Uppalaguptam, Ambajipeta, Allavaram, Mummidivaram, I. Polavaram, Ravulapalem, Kothapeta, Atreyapuram, P. Gannavaram, Razole, and Malkipuram in the district.
The Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Tuni police (Law and Order) had charged the agitators with resorting to violence and damaging public property.
In all, 329 cases had been registered against thousands of agitators under Sections 143, 147, 353, 150, 152 and 120 (B), the Railways Act of 1989, and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act of 1984 by the Tuni Government Railway Police (GRP).
The Ministry of Home Affairs has been requested to accord permission to withdraw the prosecution in the cases.
