Hyderabad, February 18 – Telangana police on Wednesday arrested former MLA and BRS leader Balka Suman on charges of involvement in the incident involving Minister of Labour Vivek Venkatswamy's convoy.
Tension prevailed in the Kythanpally municipality of the Mancherial district as members of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) attempted to prevent the police from arresting Suman.
A scuffle broke out between the police and BRS members. The police used force to control the situation and took Suman to the Srirampur Police Station, where he will be produced before a magistrate.
A case was filed against Suman on Tuesday for allegedly behaving rudely with the police and for trying to prevent them from performing their duties. There were also allegations that he was involved in pelting stones at Minister Vivek's convoy on Tuesday.
These incidents occurred amidst a bitter power struggle between the ruling Congress party and the BRS to win the positions of chairperson and vice-chairperson of the Kythanpally municipality.
Due to the tense situation, the election could not be held for the second consecutive day.
When the police went to arrest Suman, his supporters gathered in large numbers and resisted the police's attempt. Amidst the tension, the police physically lifted Suman and took him away in a vehicle.
BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao has condemned Suman's arrest and demanded his immediate release.
Rama Rao criticized the police for arresting the former MLA without any prior notice.
KTR stated that the arrest of a Dalit leader, who is the voice of the weaker sections, is a cowardly act by the Revanth Reddy government.
The BRS leader alleged that Minister Vivek was acting in an unconstitutional manner to dictate the election process and put pressure on the officials. He said that the returning officer and the police, who should be impartial, bowed to the whims of Congress leaders, which is a sign of the decline of democratic institutions.
KTR alleged that the police machinery, which was supposed to maintain law and order, has become a private army for the Congress party, and that even though the people of Kythanapalli gave a clear verdict to BRS, it is shameful to kidnap candidates and file cases against those who obstructed them.
He said it is outrageous to use hundreds of policemen and then file illegal cases against former MLA Suman for questioning the anarchy and election irregularities being committed by Minister Vivek.
He said the police should stop harassing senior party leaders and activists, including Balka Suman. He added that every police officer committing irregularities will have to pay a befitting price in the future.
KTR criticised the Congress brand of ‘occupation politics’ currently being practiced in the state. Referring to incidents in Thorrur, Jangaon and Zaheerabad, he expressed his concern over the way councillors elected by the people were being bought for less than cattle's price.
He urged the State Election Commission and the Governor to immediately intervene and conduct a thorough investigation into the irregularities in the municipal elections, and to take immediate action against the police officers who are violating the law to please the ruling party.
