Telangana on the boil over multiple issues; CM sticks to threatening political opponents with HYDRAA

Telangana has witnessed an unprecedented outbreaks of protests against the Congress over different issues at multiple places on Saturday

Hyderabad: Telangana on Saturday turned into a cauldron on the boil, witnessing an unprecedented outbreak of protests by different sections against the government over different issues on the same day, multiple instances of police highhandedness triggering suicides and suicide attempts, and ignoring all this, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy continuing to threaten political opponents with HYDRAA.

The day began with the fierce protests by Group I aspirants continuing from last night in Ashok Nagar. With reports that the protestors were planning to take out rallies, police began caning apsirants who came out of their hostels. In between, many women aspirants complained that police thrashed them indiscriminately and detained them for more than 12 hours from last night. The tension escalated further after union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar reached the spot. A sudden call for a ‘Chalo Secretariat’ march saw the union Minister joining the protestors in the march, which was soon blocked by the police.

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Sanjay Kumar was detained and despite his protests, was bundled into a vehicle and ‘dropped’ at the BJP State office in Nampally. There were more clashes when BJP supporters tried to prevent BRS leaders including RS Praveen Kumar and V Srinivas Goud from interacting with the Group I aspirants, with the police arresting and forcibly removing the BRS leaders from the area.

Even as Ashok Nagar was simmering, more violence was witnessed in Secunderabad, where police lathi-charged a large number of devotees who gathered at the Muthyalamma temple in response to a bandh called by local traders to protest against the desecration of the temple last week. Several persons, including women, were injured when police resorted to a lathi-charge, with some protesters also pelting the police with stones and footwear. Tension soared in nearby Monda market locality also, when a group of people tried to force their way into a hotel, where the alleged desecrators of the temple had held meetings.

After Group I aspirants and devotees in the capital city, next was the turn of farmers across the State to take to the streets. The trigger was Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageshwara Rao’s indirect admission in a press conference that there would be no Rythu Bharosa input assistance this Kharif season. Farmers, who were waiting desperately for the financial help that they were being given in the form of Rythu Bandhu by the BRS government from 2018 onwards, broke into tears at several places. Tears turned into rage soon and effigies of the Congress government and the minister were burnt at several places.

BRS protest on Sunday

Meanwhile, the BRS has called for protest demonstrations across all mandal headquarters in the State on Sunday denouncing the Congress government’s failure to disburse Rythu Bharosa assistance for the Kharif season.

More police highhandedness, suicides

Even as the police were on an overdrive caning protestors in the capital, the State was in for more shockers, with two persons attempting suicide over police highhandedness, with one of them dying. In the first incident in Jangaon district, a tribal youngster immolated himself in front of the Palakurthi station where he was summoned along with his wife for counseling over a domestic dispute. He died while under treatment in hospital, leaving a video accusing eight cops, including the Palakurthi CI and SI, of harassing him.

In another incident in Nagarkurnool district’s Lingala, a youngster attempted to hang himself out of humiliation after an SI got his head tonsured along with that of two of his friends. The trigger for the SI was that the youngster had combed his hair in front of him while being taken to the police station after the trio allegedly had an argument with staff at a fuel station.

CM sticks to HYDRAA

Even as unrest spread in different forms across the State, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, speaking at a Rajiv Sadbhavana Yatra programme in the city, stuck to his guns on HYDRAA, saying that the agency would continue its demolition drive against ‘land sharks’. He also continued to threaten his political opponents, accusing them of encroaching upon nalas and hinting the bulldozer approach against them, all the while keeping quiet about his own Cabinet and party colleagues who were facing graver allegations.