The Kapu community in Andhra Pradesh on Monday called off demonstrations demanding its inclusion in the list of backward caste communities after violent protests the previous day, where agitators torched a train and two police stations. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu convened an emergency meeting on Sunday, after which he said the government was committed to include the group among backward classes. CNN-IBN reported that Naidu said a judicial commission was constituted to study the issue, but reservation benefits would be given to the Kapus.

M Padmanabhan, a key Kapu leader, called off the protest after Naidu’s announcement, but threatened to relaunch it if Kapus were not added to the OBC category immediately. On Sunday, protests began in East Godavari district in the afternoon, and thousands blocked a national highway, bringing traffic to a stop. They also set fire to at least six coaches of a train, after which four others were cancelled, and six were diverted. All trains running between Vijayawada and Vishakapatnam were stopped, causing a huge inconvenience to the public. No civilians were hurt, but 15 police personnel sustained injuries in the violence.