KCR Family Has Turned Telangana Into Extortion State: Congress

The Congress on Sunday demanded stern action against the ruling TRS leaders and police officials whose harassment allegedly drove a young businessman and his mother to suicide in Ramayampet in Telangana.

Former minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir made this demand after visiting the relatives of Gangam Santosh and his mother G Padma, residents of Ramayampet in Medak district, on Sunday.

He visited the family on the instructions of AICC Telangana in-charge Manickam Tagore and TPCC president A Revanth Reddy.

Santosh and his mother Padma committed suicide by setting themselves ablaze in a lodge in Kamareddy on April 16.

The police recovered a selfie video in which Santosh and Padma alleged harassment by TRS leaders, including Ramayampet municipal chairman Palle Jitender Goud, a police inspector Nagarjuna Goud and others.

"This incident has exposed that the TRS government has transformed Telangana into an extortion State. The victim, Santosh, was being harassed by TRS leaders seeking a 50% share in his business. When he refused, he was targeted and tortured by the police officials. This horrifying incident has also exposed the unholy nexus between the ruling party and the police department who are together ruining the lives of common people," Shabbir Ali said.

The Congress leader said that the Kamareddy police had registered a case under Section 306 (abetment to suicide) against seven people. However, the police should alter the case to include sections relevant to murder, extortion and organised crime, he said.

"This is not a simple case of abetment to suicide. In this case, the ruling TRS leaders, in connivance with the police and other officials, created circumstances so as to force the targeted victims to commit suicide so that they could acquire their business or property. This is a cold-blooded murder," he alleged.

TPCC president Revanth Reddy also spoke to the relatives of suicide victims through Shabbir Ali's mobile phone, and assured all possible assistance from the Congress.

Shabbir Ali also spoke to DGP Mahender Reddy over the phone and demanded immediate action and a fair probe in this case. He also asked the DGP to direct the police officials to stop working like TRS workers and perform their duties as per the law.

Shabbir Ali said that this was not first incident where a family was forced to commit suicide due to harassment by TRS leaders. He pointed out that in January this year, TRS MLA Vanam Venkateswara Rao's son Raghavender Rao was accused of driving one Naga Ramakrishna and his entire family in Palvoncha to suicide. In that case, too, the victim had left a selfie video blaming the TRS MLA and his family for the suicide.

"The TRS regime is proving to be a demonic rule where there is no guarantee for the safety of the lives, property or dignity of the common people. Right from minister K T Rama Rao to a common TRS activist, almost all members of the ruling party are now fully engaged in extortion, settlement and commissions. Ministers, MLAs, MLCs, municipal chairpersons, sarpanches and ordinary workers have carved out a well-organized mechanism to extort money from people, irrespective of the business they are are involved in, and the entire mafia is being headed at the State level by the KCR family. They seek a share in every business," he alleged.

Shabbir Ali accused the KCR family of injecting corruption so deep into the police machinery and the administration that now many police officials and even government clerks were behaving like TRS workers to extort money. Percentages were fixed for different trades, and the ruling party leaders had also fixed their commissions for various categories of works, he alleged.

"The Congress will not tolerate such harassment, and will fight against the TRS regime at all levels. We appeal to all the victims of TRS and police harassment that they not resort to any extreme measures like suicides. Instead, they should approach the Congress leaders, who will take up their fights. People should not lose hope under any circumstances, and should fight bravely against the atrocities of TRS government," he said.