Harish Rao arrested in Hanamkonda during TNGOs’ protest

BRSLP deputy leader T Harish Rao was arrested in Hanamkonda on Thursday after attending a TNGOs protest at the district Collectorate. His arrest triggered protests by BRS workers, while heightened security continued in Warangal and Hanamkonda over his proposed visit to the Polytechnic College.

Warangal/Hyderabad: BRSLP deputy leader T Harish Rao was arrested in Hanamkonda on Thursday after he attempted to visit protesting students of the government polytechnic college in Warangal. He demanded immediate withdrawal of GO 97, stating that the proposed merger of government polytechnic education with the Young India Skill University will jeopardise the future of nearly one lakh students.

Harish Rao, who was placed under house arrest at his Kokapet residence on Thursday morning ahead of his Warangal visit, managed to give police the slip and reached Hanamkonda. On the way to meet polytechnic students, he attended a protest by Telangana Non-Gazetted Officers (TNGOs) at the District Collectorate and extended his support to their demands. He demanded that the Congress government immediately resolve the problems faced by its employees.

---

However, he was arrested as he prepared to leave for the government polytechnic college. The police also arrested former Minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao, former government Chief Whip Dasyam Vinay Bhaskar and other senior BRS leaders. Tension prevailed at the Collectorate as BRS workers and police personnel were involved in pushing and jostling. BRS workers raised slogans against the government and attempted to prevent police from taking Harish Rao away.

With the BRS cadre creating hurdles, the police forced the BRSLP deputy leader to leave and shifted him to the Subedari police station on foot, triggering protests by BRS workers. The activists objected to the police’s rude treatment of the former Minister and alleged that he was not even allowed to board a vehicle.

Meanwhile, the police were deployed in large numbers at the government polytechnic college in Warangal, with students being checked before being allowed into the campus. Police were also reportedly preventing groups of more than four or five students from entering together. Police were also preventing students from coming out of the campus. BRSV student leaders in Warangal and Hanamkonda were detained ahead of the protest.

Speaking to mediapersons at Subedari police station, Harish Rao accused the Congress government of suppressing the students’ protest and questioned the need to arrest political leaders seeking to meet them. “Are the students terrorists or anti-social elements?” he asked, stating that police were booking cases and using force against students who were staging peaceful protests.

He said the police had detained student and BRS leaders and that the polytechnic college was effectively locked down, with the mess shut and students prevented from coming out. He questioned the government’s decision to deploy police against protesting students. He said parents of 10 students had already taken transfer certificates from the institution amid the uncertainty.

He demanded immediate withdrawal of GO 97 and stalling of the proposed merger, which could eventually privatise polytechnic education and affect students’ access to engineering courses. He sought action against the police officials who attacked students and grabbed a student by the throat. He also questioned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s silence on the Telangana students’ agitation.