Telangana police on Tuesday arrested Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) deputy floor leader in the assembly, T Harish Rao, and other senior party leaders while they were en route to Parigi town in Vikarabad district to express solidarity with farmers protesting against land acquisition for a proposed industrial park.
Accompanied by former ministers P Sabitha Indra Reddy and Errabelli Dayakar Rao and several other BRS leaders, Harish Rao was leaving in a convoy of vehicles to Parigi, when they were intercepted at Narsingi and taken into custody.
A tense situation prevailed at Telangana police academy (TGPA) junction, where hundreds of BRS leaders and workers staged a sit-in in protest against the arrest of Harish Rao and others
The arrested leaders were taken to Shamshabad police station and detained there for a few hours, before being let off.
Earlier in the day, the police kept several BRS leaders including former Parigi MLA Koppula Mahesh Reddy and local leader Shubhaprad Patel under house arrest. They were later shifted to a local police station in Parigi.
Speaking to reporters before leaving for Parigi, Harish Rao alleged that the police also arrested the protesting farmers on Monday late night. He condemned the arrests of the BRS leaders and also farmers who were scheduled to stage protests opposing acquisition of 1,200 acres of land for a proposed industrial park.
{{/usCountry}}Speaking to reporters before leaving for Parigi, Harish Rao alleged that the police also arrested the protesting farmers on Monday late night. He condemned the arrests of the BRS leaders and also farmers who were scheduled to stage protests opposing acquisition of 1,200 acres of land for a proposed industrial park.
{{/usCountry}}“The government is forcibly acquiring fertile lands under the pretext of industrial development, while suppressing opposition voices,” he alleged.
He accused chief minister A Revanth Reddy of being obsessed with land, and carrying out large-scale acquisitions across the state including Lagacherla, Nadargul, and Parigi.
In a statement, BRS working president K T Rama Rao termed the detention of Harish Rao and others as a cowardly act. He accused the government of using police force to crush dissent. “Silencing opposition voices through coercion is nothing short of murdering democracy,” he said.
Meanwhile, senior Congress MLA representing Parigi constituency P Rammohan Reddy said nearly 60% of the 1200 acres of land proposed to be developed into an industrial estate was government land and only 40% of the land was being acquired from the local farmers.
“The government has offered handsome compensation to the farmers as per the land acquisition act. No injustice would be done to any farmer,” Reddy said.