In a recent development, Patnam Narender Reddy, a former MLA from Kodangal and leader of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), was arrested on Wednesday by Vikarabad police from his residence in Film Nagar, Jubilee Hills. The arrest follows an investigation into an attack on Vikarabad district officials earlier this week, where two government officials were reportedly injured.
Police revealed that Narender Reddy was allegedly in communication with B. Suresh Raj, the main accused in the attack, who remains absconding. A youth leader within the BRS in Dudyala Mandal, Suresh Raj is believed to have instigated the incident, where a group of villagers assaulted officials with stones and sticks during a public hearing in Lagacharla village. This hearing was part of an initiative related to the proposed development of a ‘Pharma Village,’ a cluster intended to house pharmaceutical companies in the Kodangal constituency, currently represented by Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy.
The attack occurred after Suresh Raj reportedly approached officials at the Dudyala mandal headquarters, urging them to visit Lagacharla to hear grievances from local farmers potentially impacted by the Pharma Village project. Upon arrival, the officials, including Vikarabad District Collector Prateek Jain, Additional Collector G. Lingya Naik, and Kodangal Area Development Authority (KADA) Chairman Venkat Reddy, were attacked by a mob. While the district collector escaped unscathed, the Additional Collector and KADA Chairman sustained injuries.
In response, Vikarabad police filed three cases linked to the attack, with sixteen suspects being presented before a magistrate on Tuesday night and subsequently placed in judicial custody. Meanwhile, four police teams have been deployed to track down Suresh Raj.
The BRS has condemned the arrest of Narender Reddy, with the party’s working president, K.T. Rama Rao (KTR), criticizing the ruling Congress government for allegedly persecuting opposition leaders. KTR accused the government of “stooping to undemocratic measures” to silence dissent, calling the arrest an attempt to intimidate people’s representatives and suppress local opposition.
“The government has resorted to arresting representatives for merely speaking to party activists,” said KTR. He further claimed that the ruling party was attempting to silence voices challenging the government’s stance on the Pharma Village project. Despite the recent crackdown, he asserted that the BRS would continue to advocate for the rights of farmers and constituents affected by such development projects.
This incident has heightened political tensions in Telangana, as the BRS accuses the Congress-led government of using “heavy-handed tactics” to quell public opposition in the Chief Minister’s own constituency. The investigation remains ongoing, with officials continuing their search for additional suspects.
Sources By Agencies
