Police target BRS cadre for protesting against Congress attack; Bhongir turns police fortress

Attempt to quell any form of protest saw the police swooping down early in the morning on the residences of several BRS leaders and public representatives, detaining them and denying them permission to move out

Hyderabad: In a dramatic turn of events, Bhongir turned into a police fortress with barricades all across and movement of people restricted inexplicably on Sunday as the police tried to suppress protests by the BRS against Saturday’s Congress attack on the BRS party office in the town. Though it was clear that it was Congress that orchestrated the attack, Sunday’s crackdown was entirely targeted at the BRS.

The attempt to quell any form of protest saw the police swooping down early in the morning on the residences of several BRS leaders and public representatives, detaining them and denying them permission to move out. Many were arrested and shifted to police stations.

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However, refusing to be deterred by the police’s high-handedness, BRS activists continued to organise fiery protests. The BRS’ call for a massive protest (maha dharna) to condemn the attack, led to an even more tense standoff between party cadres and law enforcement agencies.

Despite the denial of permission for the Maha Dharna, BRS activists remained defiant, positioning themselves at key locations across the town, including Hyderabad Chowrasta, Jagdevpur Road, Rayagiri, Collectorate Centre, Vinayak Chowrasta and the old bus station. The streets of Bhongir were soon filled with protesters squatting on the roads, demanding justice.

The Police Department, anticipating large-scale protests in response to the attack on the BRS office, established checkposts and barricades along all major roads and deployed mounted jawans for patrolling. Bhongir MLA Kambham Mahender Reddy was among those stopped on the road as tensions escalated.

Fearing a backlash against those involved in the attack, the police prohibited all protests in the district. The roads leading to the district headquarters were fully cordoned off, with heavy deployment of forces by the Rachakonda Police. Both the protest venue and the district offices of the BRS and Congress parties were sealed off to prevent further escalation.

Prominent BRS leaders from erstwhile Nalgonda district, including former Minister G Jagadish Reddy heading for Bhongir were arrested en route. Jagadish Reddy was detained at Ghatkesar, while former MLA Gongadi Sunita Mahender Reddy was placed under house arrest at her Hyderabad residence. The crackdown extended to other BRS leaders in Nalgonda, Suryapet and Yadadri Bhongir districts.

Former MP Bandigula Lingaiah, former MLAs Chirumarthy Lingaiah, Kusukuntla Prabhakar Reddy, Kancharla Bhupal Reddy and Gadari Kishore, along with former DCCB chairman Gongadi Mahender Reddy, were all arrested by the police, preventing them from reaching Bhongir. Those detained were held in police stations until late in the evening.

As the situation remains volatile, the town of Bhongir remained under a heavy police cordon scuttling every move of the protesters and of the general public too, even late into the day.