Police intercept KTR’s Kannepalli visit amid BRS protest over Godavari River waters

Tension gripped the Hyderabad-Warangal National Highway after police stopped BRS working president KT Rama Rao and party leaders at Pembarthi during their visit to Kannepalli pump house. The BRS accused the Congress government of suppressing protests over irrigation and Godavari waters

Hyderabad: Tension prevailed on the Hyderabad-Warangal National Highway on Sunday as police intercepted BRS working president KT Rama Rao and other BRS leaders at Pembarthi during their visit to the Kannepalli pump house. The BRS visit is aimed at exposing the Congress government’s alleged negligence in allowing Godavari River waters to flow into the sea instead of being lifted for irrigation.

Rama Rao, accompanied by several BRS legislators and senior leaders from erstwhile Warangal, Karimnagar and Nalgonda districts, left Hyderabad to inspect the Kannepalli pump house and address the media. En route, he halted at Babupet Stage in Yadagirigutta Mandal, where he met former MLA Gongidi Sunitha Mahender Reddy and party workers before continuing his journey.

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Police deployed heavy security at Pembarthi in Jangaon district, erected barricades on the Hyderabad-Warangal highway and intercepted Rama Rao’s convoy. Heated arguments ensued as BRS cadre converged at Pembarthi in large numbers, even as the police refused to allow them further.

The police action triggered protests from BRS cadres, who accused the Congress government of using force to stifle democratic protests over issues affecting farmers and irrigation. The BRS maintained that the visit is aimed at exposing the government’s failure to utilise available river flows despite looming concerns over water availability.

Simultaneously, preventive arrests of BRS cadres were carried out across Jangaon district, with several workers shifted to police stations while security personnel kept watch outside the residences of local party leaders.