Police places BRS leaders under house arrest across Telangana as tensions escalate

The police prevented Harish Rao from seeing his doctor despite his complaints of severe pain in his left shoulder, which was injured during his arrest on Thursday. Additionally, former Minister V Sunitha Laxma Reddy and former MP Maloth Kavitha, who came to check on Harish Rao's condition, were denied entry and subsequently arrested and taken to the police station.

Hyderabad: Several senior leaders and cadres of the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) were placed under house arrest by police on Friday, following escalating tensions after the attack on BRS MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy. The police action was taken in response to a planned meeting by BRS leaders at the residence of Serilingampally MLA Arekapudi Gandhi, who defected from the BRS to the Congress.

Among those confined to their homes were former ministers and senior MLAs T Harish Rao, P Sabitha Indra Reddy, Talasani Srinivas Yadav, Ch Malla Reddy, and V Sunitha Laxma Reddy. These leaders, along with several other BRS representatives, were restricted to their homes until late in the evening.

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The police extended house arrest orders across multiple districts, including Siddipet, Medak, Sangareddy, Mahbubnagar, Ranga Reddy, Medchal Malkajgiri, and others amid reports that the BRS leaders planned to reach Hyderabad for the proposed meeting and extend their solidarity to Kaushik Reddy. Several BRS leaders were also taken into preventive custody starting Thursday midnight.

Harish Rao, who sustained a shoulder injury during his arrest on Thursday, was initially denied medical treatment. Following consultations with senior officials, police escorted him to AIG Hospitals, where doctors recommended physiotherapy for 15 days. Earlier in the day, former Minister V Sunitha Laxma Reddy and former MP Maloth Kavitha were prevented from visiting Harish Rao at his residence. They were subsequently arrested and taken to the police station, leading to further criticism from BRS leaders regarding the treatment of their representatives.

The conflict stemmed from a heated exchange between BRS MLA Kaushik Reddy and MLA Arekapudi Gandhi over the latter’s defection to the Congress. Tensions escalated when Gandhi, along with his supporters, confronted Kaushik Reddy at his residence, leading to an attack on the latter during a clash between the two groups.

In response to the incident, BRS leaders staged a protest at the Cyberabad Police Commissionerate, which resulted in their detention. Following their release, the party planned a district-level meeting at Gandhi’s residence to further discuss the confrontation. The meeting, organized by Medchal Malkajgiri district president and MLC Sambhipur Raju, was also expected to include Kaushik Reddy.

However, the police, anticipating further unrest, placed heavy security around Shambhipur Raju’s residence and prevented the leaders from proceeding to the meeting. Kaushik Reddy engaged in a heated argument with police officers, questioning why BRS leaders were being arrested, while Congress members faced no such action.

The police said the house arrests were a preventive measure to maintain law and order during the ongoing Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations. DGP Jitender directed the tri-commissionerates of Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Rachakonda to maintain strict control over public peace, warning that any disruptions would be met with stern legal action.

Adding to the political drama, Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender, another defector, visited Gandhi’s residence to show his support. Gandhi, ironically, announced that a resolution was passed at the BRS meeting held at his residence, to ask BRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao to take disciplinary action against Kaushik Reddy for his actions.