Police prevent KTR, Harish from going to KCR’s Erravelli residence

BRS leaders, including KT Rama Rao and Harish Rao, were stopped and later arrested while attempting to reach K Chandrashekhar Rao’s Erravelli residence. The BRS alleged that police allowed Congress workers to proceed, triggering a political stand-off and protests.

Hyderabad: In a day of dramatic developments on Tuesday, police prevented the BRS leaders, including the party working president KT Rama Rao, former Minister T Harish Rao, and other legislators from going to K Chandrasekhar Rao’s residence in Erravelli, while escorting a large number of Congress leaders who started off in a procession to Erravelli. The stand-off with the police at Hakimpet ended only after the police arrested the BRS leaders and shifted them to different police stations in Bowenpally, Jawaharnagar, and other police stations separately.

The BRS objection that the police allowed Congress leaders and workers to move towards KCR’s residence while preventing its leaders from reaching it fell on deaf ears.

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Upon learning about the Congress leaders gathering at Erravelli in large numbers, Rama Rao, Harish Rao and other BRS MLAs began to rush to the spot. However, the police stopped their vehicles near Hakimpet amid heightened tensions. Heavy police deployment was made at Bollaram crossroads, where the legislators were prevented from proceeding further. A heated argument ensued between the BRS leaders and the police.

Speaking to the media, Rama Rao said the police were facilitating the movement of Congress workers and leaders, including some people who had allegedly been externed from the city, towards Chandrashekhar Rao’s residence. He accused the police of putting up barricades to stall the movement of the BRS cadre, while clearing the way for Congress leaders to facilitate an attack on the former Chief Minister’s residence.

“Police are facilitating Congress goons and rowdies who have been externed from the city, escorting them right up to KCR’s residence,” he said. “But when I try to go to my own home, I am being stopped along with our party leaders and workers. What kind of justice is this?” he asked.

The BRS working president warned that the government and the entire police machinery would be held responsible if anything happened to Chandrashekhar Rao. “If anything happens to KCR, the government and the entire police machinery will be held completely responsible,” he said, warning that any attempt to lay siege to the residence could trigger a serious law and order situation across the State.

Harish Rao also questioned the alleged police escort being provided to Congress workers heading towards KCR’s residence. He targeted Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over the developments. He reiterated that the BRS maintained that its leaders were being detained while attempting to prevent any threat to KCR’s residence.

With the police refusing to yield, the BRS legislators set out to Erravelli on foot. The party alleged that police attempted to arrest its legislators who were heading to Erravelli to support and safeguard their leader, while Congress leaders allegedly moving towards the area were allowed to proceed.

Harish Rao and other legislators were detained under the supervision of Medchal Commissioner of Police Sumathi and taken to Jawahar Nagar police station. Protesting the police action, Rama Rao and other BRS leaders staged a sit-in on the road and argued with the police. They were arrested and subsequently taken to the Bowenpally police station.