Telangana BJP chief sent to judicial custody for violating state Covid curbs

The Karimnagar police arrested Sanjay and others at the party office in the town after a three-hour-long high drama and violent protests by the BJP activists, who resisted police entry into the premises to disrupt the Jagran Deeksha.

A local court in Telangana’s Karimnagar district on Monday remanded Bharatiya Janata Party state unit president Bandi Sanjay to 14-day judicial custody for allegedly violating Covid-19 protocol after he organised a “Jagran Deeksha” (night-long protest) at his party office on Sunday night.

Apart from Sanjay, four other BJP activists were also sent to the two-week judicial remand. They were shifted to Karimnagar Central Jail after due medical examination, a police official said on Monday. (ANI)

Apart from Sanjay, four other BJP activists were also sent to the two-week judicial remand. They were shifted to Karimnagar Central Jail after due medical examination, a police official said on Monday.

The Karimnagar police arrested Sanjay and others at the party office in the town after a three-hour-long high drama and violent protests by the BJP activists, who resisted police entry into the premises to disrupt the Jagran Deeksha.

The BJP leader, who represents Karimnagar Lok Sabha constituency, took up the protests demanding that the Telangana Rashtra Samithi government revoke the controversial government order (GO No. 317) on the arbitrary transfers of teachers and employees.

The police booked Sanjay under Sections 147 (rioting), 188 (disobeying the law), 341 (wrongful restraint), 332 (injuring a public servant) R/W 149 (unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code, besides Section 51 (b) of Disaster Management Act and Section 3 of Prevention of Damage to Public Property (PDPP) Act.

Apart from Sanjay, 16 BJP activists were also booked under similar cases, of which 11 activists were shown as absconding, the police said.

After keeping Sanjay at Manakondur police station throughout the night, the police shifted him to the police training centre in Karimnagar town on Monday morning, from where he was taken to the court, which rejected his bail petition, an official said.

In their remand report, the police said Sanjay and others had resorted to unlawful assembly, violating the orders of the state government on preventive measures being taken for the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Hundreds of party leaders and workers gathered at the party office and wrongfully restrained the public. When the police requested them to obey the government orders and guidelines of the high court, they assaulted the police with bottles and sticks, causing severe injuries to some policemen. They also damaged the police van and prevented the police from discharging their duties, forcing the latter to arrest them,” the police said in the remand report.

The arrest of Sanjay and his judicial remand evoked strong protests from the BJP leaders across the country. BJP national president J P Nadda strongly condemned the ‘inhuman’ manner in which the Telangana government, led by chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, beat up Sanjay, lathi-charged the workers and arrested them.

“It is very sad and highly condemnable. This is nothing but the murder of democracy. We strongly condemn this malicious attempt,” Nadda said.

Senior Telangana BJP leader and Union minister for tourism G Kishan Reddy described the arrests as a largescale conspiracy by the TRS government to stifle the voice of dissent in the democracy.

“The enlightened people of Telangana are closely watching the inhuman acts of the TRS government. They would reach a fitting lesson to it at the right time. The BJP will never be scared of such illegal arrests and false cases,” Reddy said at a press conference in New Delhi.

Senior BJP leaders, including party national vice-president D K Aruna, OBC Morcha national president Dr K Laxman, BJP MLAs T Raja Singh, M Raghunandan Rao and Eatala Rajender and other senior office-bearers met at the party office in Hyderabad in the evening to decide the future course of action, an official aware of the developments said.

“From tomorrow, we have decided to launch state-wide protests condemning the police atrocities and anti-democratic activities of the Telangana government,” BJP state vice president G Manohar Reddy said.

Meanwhile, Sanjay wrote a letter to Union home minister Amit Shah, BJP national president J P Nadda and Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla alleging that the TRS government was behaving undemocratically and stern action be taken against the police responsible for his ill-treatment.

Senior TRS leader and state minister for civil supplies Gangula Kamalakar described Sanjay’s Jagran Deeksha as a big drama. “He was arrested by the police for violating the Central government guidelines on Covid-19. If he has any concern for the people. he should stage a deeksha before the Prime Minister’s Office in Delhi for not filling up the one crore jobs as promised by Modi in the past,” he said.