Tension during the filing of nomination papers for local body elections in Pulivendula escalated on Friday after police fired six rounds in the air to disperse a group of YSRCP activists, according to a report by Deccan Chronicle. The firing took place after the activists allegedly attacked police personnel at the nomination centre.
A large number of YSRCP activists had gathered at the centre to file their nominations, while TDP leaders had already reached the facility, the report said. Police officials told the YSRCP leaders that they would be allowed to enter only after the TDP group completed its process and returned from the office.
According to the police account cited in the report, the activists did not accept the restriction and attacked the police. Officers then opened fire into the air in an effort to bring the situation under control and disperse the gathering.
The incident occurred during the nomination stage of the local body election process, when candidate filings can bring rival political groups into close proximity at designated centres. Such centres typically require controlled entry and sequencing to prevent clashes, although the material supplied in the report does not provide details of the specific security arrangements in place at Pulivendula.
The report does not state whether anyone was injured, detained or arrested after the firing. It also does not include a response from YSRCP representatives to the police allegation that their activists attacked officers. The available account is therefore based on the police version of how the confrontation began and how the crowd was dispersed.
The firing adds a serious public-safety dimension to the nomination process in Pulivendula. Police use of firearms, even into the air, indicates that officers considered the gathering sufficiently difficult to control through ordinary crowd-management measures. The immediate operational question for the election administration will be how nomination filings are managed at the centre as the process continues.
The police said the YSRCP leaders would be permitted to complete their nomination process after the TDP leaders had finished and left the office. No further official details on the next stage of the nomination arrangements were available in the supplied report.
