Police have put Hindupur town in Sri Sathya Sai district under drone surveillance after enforcing Section 30 of the Police Act on Thursday. | Photo credit: ARRANGEMENT
Tension prevailed in Hindupur in Sri Sathya Sai district on Thursday after a section of residents lodged a complaint with the I-Town police station alleging that provocative slogans were raised while shifting a statue of Maratha king Shivaji.
Following the sudden development, the police in the city have imposed Section 30 of the Police Act warning of strict action against violations, amid heightened vigilance to avoid any untoward incident.
The issuance of the Police Act restricts public gatherings, assemblies and processions without prior permission. Superintendent of Police (SP) S. Satish Kumar ordered the deployment of 200 police personnel in Hindupur to de-escalate the tension and for security reasons on all arterial roads.
Additional SP Ankit Surana rushed to Hindupur and called a meeting with the elders of both the communities and urged them to keep the youth under control and advise them against impulsive actions that could disturb public order. She said the police would show zero tolerance to attempts to inflame community sentiments, especially through social media.
Meanwhile, Deputy SP (Hindupur) KV Mahesh inspected several arterial junctions in Hindupur and interacted with community leaders. He warned that posting or spreading content that incites religious hatred or spreads misinformation online would attract strict legal action, regardless of intent.
Published – 26 Feb 2026 18:39 IST
