BRS women MLAs approach NHRC over alleged assault at Assembly

BRS women MLAs approached the NHRC and National Commission for Women in New Delhi, alleging that police assaulted and humiliated them while preventing them from entering the Telangana Assembly. They sought intervention over alleged rights violations and police action against legislators

Hyderabad: BRS women MLAs approached the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in New Delhi on Friday, alleging that police assaulted and humiliated them while preventing them from entering the Assembly during the recent session. They also submitted a representation to the National Commission for Women in this regard.

A delegation of BRS MLAs, MPs and senior leaders met NHRC member Vijaya Bharathi and NCW chairperson Vijaya Kishore Rahatkar separately in New Delhi, seeking their intervention. The BRS women MLAs raised concerns over the alleged police action against them at the Telangana Assembly entrance on Monday. Former Ministers P Sabitha Indra Reddy and V Sunitha Laxma Reddy apprised the authorities of the incident, accusing the police of violating their rights as legislators and manhandling them despite their being women MLAs.

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Sabitha alleged that police pulled her by the hair and behaved indecently inside the Assembly premises. She questioned the authority of the police to stop elected legislators from entering the House. She also alleged that male police personnel were deployed to handle women MLAs, while women police personnel were deployed near male legislators.

The BRS leader said they had complained to DGP CV Anand about the incident but received no response. She stated that though they were assaulted, cases were subsequently registered against them and their party legislators. She said several BRS legislators sustained injuries and that a tense atmosphere was created to prevent them from entering the Assembly.

Former Ministers G Jagadish Reddy and Satyavathi Rathod, MLC Surabhi Vani Devi, MLAs Kova Lakshmi and Palla Rajeshwar Reddy, and party general secretary Soma Bharat Kumar were among those who accompanied the delegation.