Tensions escalate as senior BRS leaders arrested in Hyderabad

Tensions escalated in Hyderabad on Thursday as Cyberabad police arrested senior BRS leaders, including MLAs T Harish Rao, G Jagadish Reddy, and Padi Kaushik Reddy, amid high drama.

Hyderabad: Tensions escalated in Hyderabad on Thursday as Cyberabad police arrested senior BRS leaders, including MLAs T Harish Rao, G Jagadish Reddy, and Padi Kaushik Reddy, amid high drama. The arrests intensified the political tussle between the ruling BRS and law enforcement, triggering widespread protests by party cadre across the State.

The dramatic events began unfolding early in the morning when the police reached Kaushik Reddy‘s residence in Kondapur to arrest him in connection with a case registered on Wednesday at Banjara Hills police station. The case stemmed from an altercation when Kaushik Reddy visited the station to lodge a complaint alleging phone tapping by the Congress government. The confrontation erupted when Kaushik Reddy demanded that Station House Officer KM Raghavendra stay to receive the complaint. Accusing Kaushik Reddy of obstructing a public servant, the police filed charges, including unlawful assembly, rioting, and criminal intimidation.

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Taking to X, BRS working president KT Rama Rao and senior MLA T Harish Rao raised serious questions about the state of governance in Telangana, charging the Congress government with undermining democracy and targeting BRS leaders through questionable actions. They condemned the police for registering a case against Kaushik Reddy instead of addressing his complaint against Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on phone tapping.

On Thursday morning, the situation escalated further when Harish Rao also reached Kaushik Reddy’s residence to meet him. Police personnel, deployed in large numbers, blocked Harish Rao, leading to a heated argument. He was subsequently arrested and shifted to the Gachibowli police station. A similar scene unfolded when Jagadish Reddy and other BRS leaders arrived there and were also detained and shifted to the Raidurg police station. They were charged with obstruction of police duty, criminal intimidation and others.

As news of the arrests spread, hundreds of BRS leaders and supporters, including Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council S Madhusudhana Chari, MLC K Kavitha, and former Ministers P Sabitha Indra Reddy, Vemula Prashanth Reddy, S Niranjan Reddy and Mohd Mahmood Ali, rushed to Gachibowli and Raidurg police stations. Despite negotiations and protests, the detained leaders were not released, adding to the tension. The arrested BRS leaders were kept in detention even after seven hours.

The arrests sparked political outrage among the BRS cadre, with the party accusing the Congress government of using law enforcement to suppress dissent. The BRS cadre burnt the effigies of Revanth Reddy, the State government and the police at several places including Manthani, Jangaon, Karimnagar, Suryapet and other places across the State.

Condemning the arrests, Rama Rao, who was in Kochi to attend a conference, demanded the immediate release of Harish Rao, Jagadish Reddy and other BRS leaders. He said under the Congress rule, people who were questioning the government over unfulfilled promises, seeking justice and even expressing their woes, were being arrested undemocratically.

“Cases are being registered against people and their elected representatives. Cases and arrests for opposition leaders, while the ruling party leaders get moneybags and suitcases,” he remarked.