Former Minister Malla Reddy Arrested

Medchal MLA and former minister Malla Reddy, a BRS leader and businessman, was arrested by the police today in connection with a land dispute.

Tension prevailed in the Petbasheerabad police station limits under Jeedimetla in Medchal district on Saturday when the former minister and his son-in-law Marri Rajasekhar Reddy, also a BRS MLA (he represents Malkajgiri), along with their followers staged a protest alleging that some people were occupying a plot of land of theirs.

Malla Reddy and Rajasekhar Reddy's followers tried to remove the barricades placed around the site. Following this, the police entered the scene and stopped them. This led to a heated argument between the police, Malla Reddy and Rajasekhar Reddy, and Malla Reddy was arrested.

There is a land dispute between former minister Malla Reddy and others in survey number 82 of Suchitra limits. Malla Reddy claims that two-and-a-half acres of land belongs to him from 12 years. However, 9 other persons, led by a Srinivas Reddy, claim that 1.11 acres of the land belongs to them, and that surveyors had also ascertained that, but that in 2016 Malla Reddy, by virtue of being a minister, forcibly took over the land. Now that the government had changed, they were reclaiming their land, they contended, and had put barricades around the area they claim as theirs.

Malla Reddy's followers tore down some of the barricades. The tearing down happened right in front of the police. The 9 persons consequently lodged a complaint with the police alleging that Malla Reddy's followers were threatening them. Srinivas Reddy said, "He is making false claims on our lands. A survey was conducted in the year 2000. We had the survey conducted by the Deputy Legal Surveyor under the direction of the High Court. There is no document with Malla Reddy to claim ownership rights over the disputed land. No survey was done by them. Malla Reddy's followers tried to beat us before the police."

The police then arrested Malla Reddy and Rajasekhar Reddy (they were released a few hours later).

For his part, Malla Reddy said that his son-in-law and his son had bought the property 12 years ago, from a Marwari businessman. "The survey number has a total of 17 acres, and I purchased more than two acres of land. However, some people from Karimnagar created false documents and claimed that the land belongs to them. The plots that we purchased are being claimed by them as their land. A case has been pending at Petbasheerabad police station for eight years now. I told them in the past to do a survey if they really have land here. But last night the sheet sheds laid in the land were forcibly removed by them. They did not pay heed to the complaint lodged with the police. We are being subjected to violence in our own land. The phones of our watchmen were snatched away. We are also not being allowed to sit in our space. It is in this situation that Rajasekhar Reddy got into an altercation with the police. I am in my land. We have complained to the police in the past as well. We don't have the stolen documents," he said.

He alleged that the Congress government was running violently and waging vendetta on him.