Amaravati farmers defy police, keep up protest against plan to shift Andhra capital

Tension built up in Mandadam village near Amaravati late on Thursday night as farmers refused to end their agitation against the Andhra Pradesh government’s move to shift the state capital away from Amaravati, police said.

A night-long stand-off

The farmers and their families had been holding a daytime dharna for a week. When they decided to stay on through the night, police took down the tents they had pitched. The protesters still would not leave, citing the cabinet meeting due to be held at the Secretariat.

Ignoring prohibitory orders and police warnings to clear the spot, the farmers carried on their sit-in on the village’s main road, which leads to the Secretariat, holding the national flag. They said they would not call off their protest before Friday evening, when the cabinet of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was due to make its decision on the capital public.

Police position

Large numbers of police were deployed in Mandadam and other villages to stop any attempt by protesters to reach the Secretariat, where the cabinet was scheduled to meet. With the tent effectively blocking the road that ministers, officials and staff use to reach the Secretariat, police had repeatedly asked the protesters to remove it.

A senior police official said, “We will review the situation later and take appropriate action,” suggesting that the protesters could be removed by force if needed. The official added that no protest would be permitted near the Secretariat while the Chief Minister, ministers and senior officials attended the meeting, and that prohibitory orders would be strictly enforced until Friday morning.

See also: YSR Congress Party | Election news

Originally published on 27 December 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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