Jagan Attacked With Knife In Vizag Airport

YSR Congress Party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy was attacked with a knife by a youth in the waiting lounge of the Visakhapatnam airport this morning.

While Jagan sustained an injury on his arm, the assailant was overpowered by Jagan's security guards and handed over to the police.

The attacker was identified as Janipalli Srinivasa Rao, a waiter in Fusion Foods at the airport and hailing from Mummidivaram in East Godavari district. He reportedly approached Jagan on the pretext of taking a selfie with him while the latter was waiting to catch a flight to Hyderabad. He then stabbed Jagan with a blade-like sharp object used in cock-fights. He reportedly aimed for Jagan's neck, but as Jagan flinched, landed the cut on the latter's left arm.

Jagan, who was on a padayatra in Vizianagaram district, had come to the Visakhapatnam airport to fly to Hyderabad to attend the CBI court proceedings on Friday at Nampally. (He needs to be in Hyderabad every Friday to attend the court proceedings.)

The police are interrogating Rao. Governor E S L Narasimhan called AP Director General of Police R P Thakur and enquired about the attack. He also sought a full report on the incident. Thakur told the media that the man who attacked Reddy had a letter in his pocket. He did not reveal the contents of the letter, but stated that the police were treating it as publicity stunt by the attacker.

Many people are shocked at the major security lapse in a high-security zone like the airport where everyone is subjected to a thorough frisking. Scores of Jagan's supporters staged a dharna at the airport. Spontaneous protests also erupted in other parts of the state as the news spread like wildfire. The YSR Congress Party condemned the attack and called it cowardly, and predictably demanded the resignation of N Chandrababu Naidu alleging a political conspiracy.