Left leaders on way to protest meeting arrested by police

Kakinada (AP), Sep 6 (PTI) Police today arrested leadersof Left parties while they were going to participate in apublic meeting organised to protest setting up of a facilityof Divis Laboratory near here in East Godavari district. Those arrested include CPI-M State Secretary P Madhu,CPI’s Ravula Ankaiah, CPI (ML) Liberation and New Democracyleaders B Bangarraju and N Murty, CPI-M District SecretaryDuvva Seshu Babji and his CPI counterpart Thatipaka Madhu. DSP Vijayabhaskar Reddy said the arrests were made asa preventive measure to maintain law and order in the areawhere prohibitory orders under CrPC Section 144 had beenpromulgated. He said no permission was granted to hold the meetingin view of the tension prevailing in the area over setting upof Divis Lab unit. Due to arrests, the scheduled public meeting ofthe Left parties at Padadipet village, where the Divis Labfacility is to come up, could not take place. The Left parties have extended support to theagitation launched by local villagers against alleged forcibleacquisition of their lands for the facility. PTI COR RSYRGJMF