On the 5th of January, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the JanaSena Party jointly called for a Dharma Yatra.
The yatra was called in the wake of the recent incident of demolition of the idol of Lord Rama in Vizianagaram district.
On the 2nd of January, an idol of lord Rama was demolished at the temple of Ramatheertham Village.
The ncident which hurt the sentiments of Hindus soon took a political stir and open war of words between the government and the Opposition parties.
Due to the Dharma Yatra called by the BJP and the JanaSena, tension prevailed in the town.
The BJP and the JanaSena leaders would stage a huge rally from Visakhapatnam to Ramatheertham as part of the Dharma Yatra.
The political parties with this Dharma Yatra are demanding severe punishment for the culprits.
Leaders like Sunil Deodar, C.M. Ramesh, Madhav and JanaSena leader Nadendla Manohar would participate in the rally. The yatra was scheduled to be led by Somu Veerraju, the BJP State President.
In this backdrop, the Andhra Pradesh Police deployed heavy police force to avoid any kind of violence.
The police officials have been deployed at Ramatheertham main temple, the Bodikonda stairway, the Kodanda Ramuni temple on the hill,
In addition, the State Police imposed Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in Ramatheertham.
The police placed several BJP leaders under house arrest in Gajuwaka. A police patrol was set up in front of the house of the BJP and the JanaSena leaders from midnight.
Meanwhile, the BJP State executive committee Nadukuduti Eswara Rao continued his ‘deeksha’ for the sixth day in Ranasthalam of Srikakulam district demanding an immediate arrest of the culprits. Mr. Rao started his protest on the 28th of December and is continuing the deeksha.
Stay tuned for further updates.
