YS Sharmila Reddy, the Andhra Pradesh Congress president, was detained by the police in Vijayawada along with other party leaders and workers. They had staged a protest against the YSRCP Government and Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy at the Andhra Ratna Bhavan.
Sharmila called for a ‘Chalo Secretariat’ march to protest and held a sit-in demonstration at the building. The protesting Congress workers and leaders, led by Sharmila, demanded jobs for unemployed youth in Andhra Pradesh.
The police detained Sharmila and other Congress leaders and workers before they could march towards the secretariat, leading to minor scuffles between the police and protesters. APCC working president Sheikh Mastan Vali was also detained as he started his march to the secretariat.
AICC in-charge of Andhra Pradesh Manickam Tagore criticized the police’s approach, calling it heavy-handed and unacceptable. The protest aimed to demand justice for unemployed youth and the student community in the State.
YS Sharmila highlighted the issue of unemployment crisis in Andhra Pradesh during the protest, mentioning that over 21,000 people had died by suicide due to unemployment. She accused the YSRCP Government of undemocratically arresting Congress leaders who were agitating for justice.
Before the protest, YS Sharmila spent the night in the party office to avoid arrest.
