Deeksha Diwas: KTR goes down memory lane

It was also the day when his father, TRS (now BRS) president K Chandrashekhar Rao launched his fast-unto-death.

Hyderabad: An arrest, a night inside the prison hospital and an unexpected clean shave, BRS working president KT Rama Rao experienced the most dramatic day of his life inside Warangal Central Prison on November 29, 2009. It was also the day when his father, TRS (now BRS) president K Chandrashekhar Rao launched his fast-unto-death, which led to his arrest and eventually to the Centre’s decision to grant statehood for Telangana on December 9 of 2009.

On the occasion of Deeksha Diwas, the doctors and staff who treated Chandrashekhar Rao at Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences were felicitated at Telangana Bhavan on Wednesday. Rama Rao thanked them for saving his father’s life and helping him recover amid all the turmoil.

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Miffed with the Congress-led UPA government’s indecision on the Telangana statehood issue, Chandrashekhar Rao decided to sit for an indefinite hunger strike in Siddipet. “As the convoy headed from Karimnagar to Siddipet, the police allowed only a couple of vehicles and arrested Chandrashekhar Rao and others on the Manair bridge at Algunoor,” he said.

Rama Rao and fellow leaders were stopped on the bridge but managed to reach the other side on foot, only to find their leader already arrested and shifted to Warangal. They followed them to Warangal where they found Kakatiya University students staging protest against demise of Srikanth Achari who set himself ablaze for the Statehood cause.

“Upon learning that my father was shifted again to Khammam, I joined the students in the protest. The police arrested us and took to the police station in a couple of mini trucks,” he said. When traffic signal turned red at Hanamkonda junction, Rama Rao and others jumped off the vehicles and escaped. He managed to reach the residence of Prof Jayashankar, but the police arrested him and shifted him to Warangal Central Prison.

He remembered most of the prison staff being sympathetic to him and treating him well. One of the officials advised him to stay in the prison hospital for a comfortable sleep, bringing much relief after a hectic day. The next day, they provided him with toiletries and even asked whether he wanted to get a shave to which he readily agreed. While he expected them to give him a razor blade, they brought a prisoner on barber duty for the work.

Due to Telangana movement, tensions were running high. Rama Rao tried to strike a conversation with him and asked him where he was from. “Exactly the moment when his blade was on my neck, he said – Pulivendula (Rayalaseema). I went speechless,” he recalled the chill down his spine. Observing his facial expression, the prisoner smiled and informed that they were depressed over the demise of YS Rajasekhar Reddy, but understood the struggle for Telangana statehood. He wished him luck and left.

“I can never forget that day especially that moment. It was the day when I earned my badge of honour for participating in the Telangana movement and got arrested,” he said.