YSRCP office in Rayachoti partly set on fire, vehicles torched; party blames TDP activists

The Yuvajana Sadhana Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) office in Ray Rayachoti, a small town in Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur district, was partially engulfed by fire on Thursday evening after a group of activists set fire to the building’s interior and torched several vehicles parked nearby. Local witnesses said the blaze began shortly after 6 pm, when a handful of men, identified by some onlookers as supporters of the rival Telugu Desam Party (TDP), broke down the office’s front door, sprayed accelerant on the interior walls and ignited the mixture. The fire quickly spread to a two‑wheelers and a three‑wheelers belonging to party workers, which were reduced to charred shells before the fire‑brigade arrived.Police officers from the Rayachoti police station responded within minutes, cordoning off the area and attempting to contain the flames with fire extinguishers while additional units were dispatched from the district headquarters..

By around 7.30 pm the fire was under control, though the damage to the office was described by the district collector as “substantial”, with roof tiles, furniture and electronic equipment destroyed. The police later recovered three hand‑guns and a number of improvised explosive devices from the scene, which they said were intended for use in further attacks, although no explosives were detonated.The YSRCP condemned the incident as a “deliberate act of terror” and immediately blamed the TDP, accusing its local cadres of orchestrating the arson. Party spokesperson G. Raghava Kumar released a statement alleging that the attackers had been identified through CCTV footage and that the police were “complicit in shielding the perpetrators”..

He called for an immediate investigation by the state’s anti‑terrorism squad and urged senior officials to ensure that the incident does not deter the party’s grassroots work in the region.The TDP denied any involvement, with senior leader N. Chandra Babu Reddy issuing a press release that described the accusations as “baseless mud‑slinging”. He urged calm and demanded that the police conduct an impartial inquiry, warning that any attempt to politicise the investigation could inflame communal tensions in the already volatile Rayachoti area. The TDP also highlighted recent instances of political violence in the district, suggesting that the YSRCP itself had been involved in clashes with rival supporters over water‑gate projects earlier this year.Police officials on the scene reported that they had to use a mild lathi charge to disperse a crowd of activists from both parties that gathered outside the burning office..

According to Superintendent of Police K. Ravi Kumar, the lathi charge was employed only after verbal warnings were ignored, and no serious injuries were reported among the demonstrators. He added that the police had detained six individuals – three identified as YSRCP supporters and three as TDP activists – for questioning, but that their involvement in the arson was yet to be determined.Legal experts noted that the use of a lathi charge, while common in crowd‑control situations, must be proportionate and justified under Indian law. Professor S. Mohan Rao of Osmania University commented that “the police appear to have acted within the parameters of the Criminal Procedure Code, but any escalation beyond a non‑lethal approach could attract scrutiny from human‑rights watchdogs.” He also warned that the presence of firearms and makeshift explosives could complicate the legal process, potentially leading to charges under the Explosive Substances Act if the devices are proven to be intended for violent use.The incident has revived concerns over a spate of politically motivated attacks that have plagued Andhra Pradesh since the state elections last year..

Analysts point to the fierce competition for control of local bodies and the distribution of welfare schemes as underlying drivers of such violence. The Rayachoti constituency, a stronghold of the YSRCP, has seen a series of protests and roadblocks orchestrated by the TDP over alleged irregularities in land‑allocation projects, creating an atmosphere of mutual suspicion and occasional clashes.State Minister for Home Affairs, K. Vijay Kumar, visited the site on Friday morning, accompanied by senior police officials and a team of investigators. In a brief address, he pledged that “no stone will be left unturned” in bringing the perpetrators to justice and assured that the investigation would be conducted “without any partisan interference”..

He also announced a compensation package for the party workers who lost personal property, and ordered a review of security protocols for political offices across the district.The Rayachoti police have submitted a preliminary report to the district magistrate, which is expected to be forwarded to the state’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) within the next 48 hours. The report details the timeline of events, the recovered weapons, and the statements of the six detained individuals. While the SIT’s mandate includes determining whether the fire was a pre‑meditated act of sabotage or a spontaneous outburst of political rivalry, officials have cautioned that the investigation could take several weeks, given the need for forensic analysis of the accelerant and the seized explosives.As the local community grapples with the aftermath, residents expressed both shock and fatigue over the recurring cycle of political confrontations..

“We just want peace, not to be caught in the crossfire of party politics,” said S. Ramesh, a shopkeeper whose stall was briefly closed due to the police cordon. The incident underscores the fragile nature of law and order in regions where party loyalty often translates into street‑level activism, and it remains to be seen whether the upcoming inquiry will restore confidence or further deepen the partisan divide..