After month-long peaceful protests, full-scale violence is beginning to rear its ugly head in the ongoing Seemandhra agitation. Unidentified men set fire to a Tehsildar office in Ananthapur district even as Samaikhyandhra crusaders went on a rampaging spree in a private rural bank.

The police in Ananthapur are not yet sure about the identity of the people who torched the tehsildar’s office. The district has been on the boil since July 30th against the decision to bifurcate the state. In fact, Ananthapur is the district where the Congress party’s decision evoked violent reactions in the first few days. But since then, the protest have largely been peaceful. 

The latest incident has heightened fears of more violence from the anti-bifurcation agitators who are growing restive by the day.

In yet another incident in Allagadda town of the neighbouring Kurnool district, the office of Andhra Pragathi Graameena Bank was targeted by the protesters. The incident happened when the protesters forced the bank staff to down the shutters in support of a town bandh. A heated argument between the two sides soon went out of hands. The protesters soon resorted to violence, destroying the furniture in the bank premises.

Police took some of the trouble-makers into custody. The scenes of agitators creating ruckus inside were captured on the CCTV cameras installed in the bank. 

Elsewhere, a total and complete shutdown is being enforced in the temple town of Tirupathi since morning to press for an undivided state cause. In Hyderabad, a planned meet of Vishalandhra Maha Sabha ended abruptly following an argument with Telangana journalists.