Ex-BRS MLA held over mob attack on Vikarabad collector
Patnam Narender Reddy was arrested on Wednesday in connection with an attack on Vikarabad district collector Prateek Jain and other officials by some people at Lagacharla village
Senior Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader and former lawmaker Patnam Narender Reddy was arrested on Wednesday in connection with an attack on Vikarabad district collector Prateek Jain and other officials by some people at Lagacharla village on Monday, people familiar with the matter said.
A team of police officials from Vikarabad picked up Narender Reddy from Kasu Brahmananda Reddy Park in Banjara Hills in Hyderabad, while he was taking a morning walk. He was later shifted to District Training Centre (DTC) at Vikarabad for questioning.
He was later produced before the district magistrate court in Vikarabad, which remanded him to judicial custody for 14 days. The BRS leader had contested against Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy from the Kodangal assembly constituency in the last year assembly elections.
The police told the court that they suspected Narender Reddy’s role in the Lagacharla incident, as his mobile call data records showed that he had been in touch the Bogamoni Suresh, a local BRS youth wing leader, who has been named as the prime accused in the case.
The Vikarabad police arrested as many as 20 people in connection with the incident, including four people on Wednesday, for allegedly assaulting the district collector and other authorities after some villagers in Lagacharla village protested against the proposed acquisition of their lands for pharmaceutical companies.
According to the remand report submitted to the court on Tuesday after the arrest of the accused, the incident took place on Monday during a public hearing led by the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC) on proposed land acquisition for the establishment of some pharma companies.
As the district collector reached the village, a mob of people who were protesting against the land acquisition, allegedly manhandled him and as he was leaving in his car, they pelted stones at his vehicle and others. At least three officials, including an additional collector Lingaiah Naik, the chairman of the Kodangal Area Development Authority (KADA) Venkat Reddy and a DSP-ranked police officer, received injuries, the remand report, which was seen by HT, said.
Following a complaint from Vikarabad sub-divisional police officer N Srinivas Reddy, the police registered a case under Section 61 (2) (criminal conspiracy), 191 (2) (3) (rioting), 109 (attempt to murder), 121 (1) (voluntarily causing hurt to a public servant), 126 (2) (wrongful restraint), 324 (4) r/w 190 (causing loss to the property) of BNS and Section 3 of Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act and Section 128 of BNSS (acting against suspected criminals).
The police, in all, named 46 people in the first information report (FIR), of which they arrested 20 people so far. The prime accused, Suresh, is among the remaining 26 persons who are absconding.
Meanwhile, IAS Officers’ Association, Telangana on Wednesday condemned the attack on Prateek Jain by an unruly mob. “The association takes a very serious view of the incidents that have occurred in Vikarabad district. The government is taking strong action in the matter,” association president Shashank Goel and secretary Jayesh Ranjan said in a statement.
They added that such acts cannot dilute the resolve of government officials in discharging their duties in any manner.
BRS working president K T Rama Rao condemned the arrest of former MLA Narender Reddy and demanded that he, along with other arrested protestors be released immediately.
Taking to X, KTR said the arrest of the BRS MLA was a proof of incompetence of chief minister A Revanth Reddy’s administration and a conspiracy to blame the revolt of people. “This is a conspiracy to blame the BRS for the people’s revolt in his own constituency. This unfortunate government is even arresting representatives for even speaking with the cadre. As the people rebelled, undemocratic actions are being taken in Lagacharla to suppress them,” he said.