Private coaching centre owner finally held in Secunderabad violence case

A week after violence at Secunderabad railway station, Railway Police on Friday arrested Avula Subba Rao, the owner of a chain of private defence coaching centres in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, for allegedly instigating the army job aspirants.

After questioning him for the last couple of days, the police took him into custody. Director of Sai Defence Academy, Rao had retired as a medical assistant in the Indian Army.

Rao and five others working at Sai Defence Academy were taken to Gandhi Hospital for medical checkup. They will be produced before a railway court later.

Rao allegedly instigated army job aspirants trained at his coaching institute and at other private coaching centres to resort to violence at Secunderabad station on June 17 while protesting against Agnipath, the Centre's new scheme for army recruitment.

A day after the incident, he was detained by police in Andhra Pradesh and was brought to Hyderabad three days ago.

Police suspect that Subba Rao provoked youth to go on rampage as he feared that implementation of Agnipath scheme may lead to closure of his coaching institutes.

He had asked the youth trained at his academy to gather at Secunderabad station to stage a protest on the lines of one witnessed in Bihar on June 16 to draw the attention of the Centre.

Police were probing the role of others working in Sai Defence Academy. Those arrested with Rao include Shiva and Hari.

Hailing from Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh, Rao started Sai Defence Academy in 2015. He opened another branch of his academy in Secunderabad recently.

Hundreds of youths protesting against Agnipath had gone on rampage at Secunderabad station on June 17. They set afire train coaches and locomotives, burnt transport goods, vandalised station and damaged other railway property.

A protester was killed and 13 others injured when Railway Police opened fire to control the situation.

The police have already arrested 55 persons in connection with the violence. They include army job aspirants trained at Sai Defence Academy.