Speaking outside Sangareddy prison on Friday after meeting 16 arrested villagers, Rama Rao alleged that the arrests were politically motivated to suppress dissent. He claimed, “Innocent people are being targeted simply for supporting the BRS. The police, in collusion with Tirupati Reddy and local Congress leaders, are intimidating villagers and their families with threats of violence if they oppose them.”
Updated On – 15 November 2024, 02:19 PM
Hyderabad: BRS working president KT Rama Rao alleged that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s brother Tirupati Reddy was unleashing reign of terror in Lagacherla to acquire lands belonging to farmers and tribals forcibly for the proposed private pharma company.
He said in collusion with Tirupati Reddy, the police implicated innocent villagers to blame the BRS for the alleged attack on the district authorities.
Speaking outside Sangareddy prison after meeting 16 arrested villagers on Friday, Rama Rao said the arrests were politically motivated to silence dissent. “Innocent people are being arrested simply for supporting the BRS. The police, in collusion with Tirupati Reddy and local Congress leaders, are threatening villagers and their families with violence if they speak against them,” he said.
The BRS working president pointed to specific cases, including gram panchayat secretary Raghavendra Yadav, and another ITI student, disregarding their absence during the alleged attack. “Raghavendra was arrested at midnight despite not being present during the alleged attack. He was conducting a caste census in another village and returned home only in the evening. Similarly, the ITI student was visiting his family and arrived after the incident, yet he was arrested,” he explained.
Rama Rao said private individuals, inebriated and abusive, accompanied the police personnel during the midnight raids on Monday. “These raids were nothing short of a terror campaign. Innocent villagers were assaulted and humiliated,” he charged. He accused Congress leaders, including Dudyal mandal president Sekhar’s supporters, of orchestrating the unrest.
“Even Congress leaders are losing their lands. Though aroud 70 people including Congress leaders were detained, only BRS supporters were officially arrested. Most of Congress activists were allowed to walk free,” he said.
The former Minister condemned the government’s attempt to acquire land worth Rs 60-70 lakh per acre for a fraction of its value, against the farmers’ wishes and portraying the farmers’ protests as a BRS conspiracy,” he added.
He pledged full legal support to the arrested villagers. “We will provide all legal assistance and continue to stand by the people of Lagacherla, Nyalkal, and other affected villages. Their fight is our fight,” he asserted. He vowed to escalate the issue and ensure justice for the victims.
Former Ministers Satyavathi Rathod and V Srinivas Goud, MLAs Chinta Prabhakar, Manik Rao, KP Vivekanand, Anil Jadav, MLC Shambipur Raju, Naveen Kumar Reddy and senior BRS leaders, also visited the victims.