On 24 May 2022 a protest in Amalapuram, headquarters of Andhra Pradesh's newly formed Konaseema district, against the YSRCP government's proposal to rename it "Dr B R Ambedkar Konaseema" turned into arson. Mobs burnt the homes of Transport Minister Pinipe Viswarupu and MLA Ponnada Satish, buses were set alight and about 20 police personnel were injured. The cabinet approved the new name a month later, and in 2023 the same government withdrew the cases.
Key takeaways
- Konaseema district was formed on 4 April 2022; on 18 May the government proposed renaming it Dr B R Ambedkar Konaseema and invited objections for 30 days.
- On 24 May 2022 a protest called by the Konaseema Sadhana Samiti at the Amalapuram Collectorate turned violent; the homes of Transport Minister Pinipe Viswarupu and Mummidivaram MLA Ponnada Satish were set on fire and buses were torched.
- Mobile internet in the district was cut from 25 May 2022 for more than seven days, the first recorded shutdown in Andhra Pradesh according to SFLC.in.
- The state cabinet approved the renaming on 24 June 2022; in March 2023 Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy announced that all cases would be withdrawn, and GO 1566 lifted cases against 242 people.
Background: a new district and a new name
On 4 April 2022 the Jagan Mohan Reddy government doubled Andhra Pradesh's districts from 13 to 26. Konaseema, covering the Godavari delta, was carved out of East Godavari with Amalapuram as headquarters IANS via National Herald.
On 18 May 2022 the government issued a preliminary notification proposing the name Dr B R Ambedkar Konaseema. Residents of the district were asked to send objections or suggestions to the Collector within 30 days IANS via National Herald TNM. The move followed appeals from Dalit organisations and some local legislators, who had criticised the absence of a district named after Ambedkar Deccan Herald TNM.
About 25% of the region's population is Scheduled Caste, per the 2011 census as cited by TNM TNM. Viswarupu, the local MLA and Transport Minister, called the proposal a victory for the state's Dalits TNM.
Who opposed the new name
The Konaseema Sadhana Samiti and other groups demanded that the district keep the name Konaseema alone Deccan Herald. TNM reported opposition from caste organisations of the Setti Balija, Kapu and Nagavamsam communities, and quoted a member of the Konaseema Parirakshana Samithi who said Backward Classes and upper castes feared what might follow if the district carried Ambedkar's name TNM.
Timeline
Protest at the Collectorate
Prohibitory orders under Section 30 of the Police Act and Section 144 CrPC were in force, but large crowds gathered outside the Collectorate. Six representatives went in to hand over a memorandum, and the DIG said stones were then thrown from the crowd TNM.
Lathi-charge and stone-pelting
Police used lathis and protesters threw stones. PTI reported that trouble started when police allegedly stopped Samiti leaders from entering the Collector's office PTI via Onmanorama. DIG Pala Raju said about 4,000 people "poured into the streets all of a sudden" Deccan Herald.
Buses and two homes burnt
A school bus and state transport buses were torched and police vehicles damaged. The mob set fire to Viswarupu's house, from which police had already moved his family, and then to MLA Ponnada Satish's house PTI DH..
Internet cut, arrests
Mobile internet was suspended and 46 people were picked up. The DGP said 2,000 personnel were deployed under two ADGPs MediaNama TNM/PTI.
Injuries and damage
Home Minister Taneti Vanitha said on 24 May that "over 20 police personnel sustained injuries" PTI. Deccan Herald reported at least 20 injured, including Konaseema SP K S S V Subba Reddy Deccan Herald. A PTI report carried by TNM a month later put the figure at 25 police personnel among dozens injured TNM. The DIG said the injured were "not in danger". No deaths were reported. Satish said a mob of "1,000-1,500 persons" carrying "petrol in bottles" burnt his house PTI.
Both accounts
Protesters' and opposition account
The Samiti said it wanted to hand the Collector a memorandum against the renaming. PTI reported that police allegedly stopped its leaders and used lathis, which angered the crowd PTI. Opposition parties said the state failed to prevent violence. The convenor of the pro-renaming B R Ambedkar Jilla Sadhana Samithi, Janga Babu Rao, also called it an intelligence failure and sought a CBI inquiry TNM.
Police and government account
Police said the violence was "pre-planned and orchestrated". Investigators found more than 20 WhatsApp groups with instructions, deleted messages, and petrol sachets used to start fires. TNM The Quint. Investigators told TNM most participants were from the Kapu and Setti Balija communities.
Government's position The government said the new name answered demands from several organisations and had support across parties. Government adviser Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy said "all the political parties supported it" and that the state had no political interest in naming a district after Ambedkar TNM/PTI. Viswarupu said the decision followed consultation and the consent of the TDP, BJP and Jana Sena Deccan Herald. Home Minister Vanitha said some parties and anti-social elements "apparently instigated" the arson and promised a "thorough investigation" PTI.
The political blame game
- Claim · YSRCP Viswarupu told TNM the TDP and Jana Sena had been mobilising people against the decision for days and "hired rowdies". He said his Dalit identity was not why his house was targeted TNM.
- Claim · TDP Chandrababu Naidu called it "completely a failure of the government and the police" and said the Home Minister had made "baseless allegations" PTI. TDP state president K Atchannaidu alleged the YSRCP "orchestrated" the violence to divert attention from a murder case against its MLC, naming YSRCP activist Anyam Sai Deccan Herald. Police took into custody Annam Sai, described by PTI as a close follower of Viswarupu, for allegedly leading a mob TNM/PTI. No evidence No court or inquiry has found that either party organised the violence.
- Claim · Jana Sena Pawan Kalyan said the government was trying "to cover up the government's failure" and called the episode a YSRCP plan to create a rift. He also sought a referendum on the name TNM/PTI DH.
- Claim · BJP State BJP president Somu Veerraju said "the government should take responsibility for its failure to maintain peace" PTI.
Those arrested crossed party lines. Deccan Chronicle reported that the first 19 arrested included a BJP leader and a YSRCP leader who had reportedly quit the party after the notification Deccan Chronicle, and PTI said the more than 250 arrested by late June included followers of the minister and activists of the YSRCP, TDP, BJP and Jana Sena Outlook/PTI.
Section 144 and the internet shutdown
Prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC were in place in Amalapuram on the day and remained after the violence, with buses into the town cancelled IANS. Mobile internet was suspended from the morning of 25 May MediaNama. On the SP's suggestion, Collector Himanshu Shukla asked the state to keep it off until normalcy returned. Five days later it was still off in the Amalapuram, Mummidivaram, Kothapeta, P Gannavaram and Razole constituencies, hitting banking and ATMs TNM.
Reports differ on its length. SFLC.in, citing an RTI reply, said it lasted "over 7 days", had no end date and the order was not published; it was Andhra Pradesh's first recorded shutdown SFLC.in. Deccan Herald said it lasted "about 10 days" Deccan Herald. The order, as described by SFLC.in, cited damage to property and the risk of false information spreading SFLC.in.
Arrests and cases
Figures vary by source:
- 25 May: 46 people, per Home Minister Vanitha (DH) and DIG Pala Raju, who said six cases were registered DH IANS. The DGP spoke of seven cases and "over 40" in custody PTI.
- 27 May: 19 formally arrested, the DIG told TNM, out of the 46 detained. Deccan Chronicle reported attempt-to-murder charges and about 450 people questioned TNM DC.
- 24 June: seven FIRs and 217 arrests, per Deccan Herald; "more than 250", per PTI DH Outlook/PTI.
The new name is approved
On 24 June 2022 the cabinet approved the renaming, exactly a month after the violence Deccan Herald Deccan Chronicle. Officials told PTI a formal notification would follow "in the next few days" Outlook/PTI. TNM later reported that the government "officially renamed" the district in June 2022 TNM.
Cases withdrawn
On 28 March 2023, after meeting party MLAs and community leaders, Jagan Mohan Reddy announced that all cases would be withdrawn. He said "we must let go of such minor scuffles and misunderstandings" TNM.
Government's position Viswarupu said the Chief Minister consulted him and Satish, the two whose homes were burnt, and that the aim was to prevent friction between communities. He also claimed police had picked up innocent bystanders TNM.
Dalit and human rights groups called the decision a betrayal. Janga Babu Rao said Dalit organisations were not consulted. TNM reported that the TDP, Jana Sena and BJP did not openly oppose it TNM. The government then issued GO 1566, lifting cases against 242 people, reported by TNM in January 2024 TNM.
Outcome
- Deaths: None reported.
- Injuries: 20 to 25 police personnel, including the SP.
- Property: Two legislators' homes burnt; buses and police vehicles torched or damaged.
- Arrests: 46 detained on 25 May, 217 to 250+ arrested by late June 2022.
- Internet: Mobile internet cut from 25 May for over 7 days (SFLC.in) or about 10 days (DH).
- Cases: Withdrawal announced in March 2023; GO 1566 lifted cases against 242 people.
Where things stand
The district still carries Ambedkar's name: Deccan Chronicle reports through 2026 use "Dr B R Ambedkar Konaseema" Deccan Chronicle. No prosecutions for the arson have been reported since the withdrawal. No court challenge to GO 1566, and no move to revive the cases after the June 2024 change of government in Andhra Pradesh, was found in the reporting reviewed here.
Questions people ask
Why was there violence in Amalapuram in May 2022?
Groups led by the Konaseema Sadhana Samiti opposed the government's 18 May proposal to rename the new Konaseema district after Dr B R Ambedkar. Their 24 May protest at the Collectorate ended in stone-pelting, a lathi-charge and arson.
How long was the internet shut in Konaseema?
Mobile internet was cut from 25 May 2022. SFLC.in, citing an RTI reply, said it lasted over seven days, and Deccan Herald said about 10 days.
Was the district renamed after the violence?
Yes. The cabinet approved the name Dr B R Ambedkar Konaseema on 24 June 2022, and the district still uses it.
Were the Konaseema riot cases withdrawn?
Yes. Jagan Mohan Reddy announced the withdrawal in March 2023, and GO 1566 lifted cases against 242 people. Dalit groups criticised the move.
Sources
- TNM: Andhra to rename one of its newly formed districts after BR Ambedkar, May 2022
- Deccan Herald: Andhra's Amalapuram burns over proposed renaming of Konaseema district, 25 May 2022
- PTI via Onmanorama: Arson in Andhra Pradesh town Amalapuram over renaming district, 25 May 2022
- TNM: Andhra Minister and MLA's homes torched over renaming of Konaseema district, 25 May 2022
- TNM: AP Minister whose house was torched blames TDP and Jana Sena for violence, 25 May 2022
- IANS via National Herald: 46 held for violence, additional forces rushed to Andhra town, 25 May 2022
- MediaNama: Internet shutdown in Konaseema, Andhra Pradesh, May 2022
- TNM/PTI: AP's Amalapuram back to normal after violent protests, 26 May 2022
- Deccan Herald: A day after arson, Konaseema remains tense, 46 arrested, 26 May 2022
- TNM: Konaseema violence 'pre-planned and orchestrated', cops probe 20 WhatsApp groups, 27 May 2022
- The Quint: Cops' probe of WhatsApp groups reveals Konaseema violence was 'pre-planned', 28 May 2022
- Deccan Chronicle: 19 persons arrested for Tuesday's violence in Konaseema, 27 May 2022
- TNM: Konaseema internet shutdown continues days after violence, 29 May 2022
- SFLC.in: 7 day long internet shutdown in Andhra Pradesh, RTI response, 20 Jul 2022
- Deccan Herald: Andhra Pradesh cabinet approves renaming Konaseema district, 24 Jun 2022
- Deccan Chronicle: AP approves Ambedkar name to Konaseema district, 24 Jun 2022
- Outlook/PTI: Andhra Pradesh cabinet approves renaming new district, 24 Jun 2022
- TNM/PTI: Andhra Cabinet approves renaming Konaseema district after BR Ambedkar, 24 Jun 2022
- TNM: A year after Konaseema caste riots, why Andhra govt wants to withdraw all cases, 15 Apr 2023
- TNM: Andhra govt issues GO lifting cases against Konaseema caste riots, 8 Jan 2024
- Deccan Chronicle: B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district coverage, accessed 12 Oct 2026