The Hyderabad Police on Tuesday detained and later arrested YSR Telangana Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s sister YS Sharmila, when she tried to lay siege to Pragati Bhavan - the official residence of chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao -to protest against the attack on her convoy and caravan by the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi workers in Warangal on Monday.
Accompanied by her followers, Sharmila left for Pragati Bhavan driving her damaged car, followed by a partially-burnt caravan, when the police stopped her on the Raj Bhavan Road. The police asked her and her followers to go back, but she refused to get down of the vehicle.
TV visuals showed during the march, she got inside a vehicle, (windowpanes of which were damaged) and was driving it, but was stopped by police. After she refused to come out of it, police brought a crane and towed away the vehicle as she sat inside. Some party supporters were also whisked away by police.
She was shifted to Sanjeeva Reddy Nagar police station about two kilometres away.
Sharmila said she wanted to seek an explanation from the chief minister whether it was appropriate for his administration to attack whoever questioned his governance and exposed his failures. “How can the police stop my padayatra, for which I have taken prior permission, just because I criticise the government policies?” she asked.
Meanwhile, the police also detained Sharmila’s mother YS Vijayamma and kept her under house arrest, when she made an attempt to go to the police station to call on her daughter.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, the police also detained Sharmila’s mother YS Vijayamma and kept her under house arrest, when she made an attempt to go to the police station to call on her daughter.
{{/usCountry}}On Monday, high drama ensued when the YSRTP president was arrested at Lingagiri village under Warangal district’s Chennaraopeta block, following clashes between her party workers and the TRS workers.
The TRS workers attacked her convoy and damaged several vehicles, besides setting fire to her caravan in protest against her alleged defamatory comments against local TRS lawmaker P Sudershan Reddy. The YSRTP workers, who doused the fire, retaliated, leading to a clash. The police stopped her padayatra, detained her and shifted her to Hyderabad.
On Tuesday, Sharmila moved the high court challenging the denial of permission for her to continue the padayatra on the pretext of law and order. The high court gave her permission to go ahead with her foot march, but with a condition that she shall not make any inflammatory speeches and provocative comments against the government.