Revanth Reddy Arrested In Wee Hours, Let Off Later

In a sensational drama, the Vikarabad police in the early hours of Tuesday took Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) Working President A Revanth Reddy into preventive custody citing a law and order problem. His brothers Kondal Reddy and Tirupathi Reddy were also taken into custody.

Reportedly, some 50 police personnel in plain clothes reached the residence of Revanth Reddy at 3 am, broke open the locks of the main entrance, went inside the house and took the Congress leader into preventive custody despite stiff resistance.

The arrest of Reddy comes ahead of Chief Minister KCR's meeting at Kodangal. Reddy had given a call for a bandh in Kodangal and asked the party workers to stage protests against the visit of KCR to the constituency.

Separately, State Chief Electoral Officer Rajat Kumar responded on the issue and said that there was no truth in the claims of Congress leaders that the Chief Minister and the police were targeting Revanth Reddy.

The CEO said that Reddy was arrested as a precautionary measure as per the rules of the Election Commission of India. Reddy was arrested for making derogatory remarks, and for threatening to prevent the Kosgi public meeting of the TRS chief, Kumar said.

The EC would still give permission to Reddy to conduct campaigns, but he should not object the public meetings of other leaders, Kumar added.

Kumar also said that the EC had sought a report on the arrest of Reddy from the DGP and the district SP and the EC officials.

The district SP Annapoorna said that Reddy would be released after the completion of the public meeting of the Chief Minister.

Meanwhile, the High Court heard an emergency habeas corpus petition filed by Congress leader Vem Narender Reddy against the arbitrary arrest of Revanth Reddy and asked the State police what was wrong with the bandh call given by Reddy, and also demanded to know what crime the police had prevented by taking the Congress leader into custody.

The arrest of Reddy has attracted widespread protests across the state prompting leaders across party lines to condemn it. Telangana TDP president L Ramana condemned the arrest of Reddy, and alleged that CM KCR was creating fear among the voters through his actions.

Former union minister S Jaipal Reddy too slammed KCR for behaving like a Chief Minister during the infamous emergency period.

Defending the TRS, caretaker minister K T Rama Rao said that it was the EC that had directed the arrest of Reddy for his open call to disrupt the public meeting of the TRS chief in Kodangal.