Several BRS leaders under ‘house arrest’ after party calls for meeting

Hyderabad: Against the backdrop of a proposed meeting of BRS party activists of Serilingampally Assembly constituency to be held at the residence of MLA Arekapudi Gandhi who defected to the Congress, several leaders and cadres of the opposition party on Friday were put under “house arrest.”

The BRS leaders would start from the residence of its Medchal district president Sambhipur Raju for the meeting, the party sources said.

The police made tight security arrangements at the residence of Sambhipur Raju as the BRS leaders were expected to gather there before leaving for the meeting at the residence of turncoat MLA Gandhi.

The meeting was a result of a war of words and a scuffle between the supporters of BRS MLA P Kaushik Reddy and turncoat MLA Gandhi, at the former’s residence here on Thursday which witnessed tense moments.

A police official said Raju and Kaushik Reddy were put under house arrest at the residence of Raju with a view to ensure that law and order was not disturbed. He pointed out that Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations are going on.

The leaders would be put under house arrest till evening and they would be released as per the situation, he said.

BRS Working President K T Rama Rao on Friday in a statement claimed that his party leaders were put under house arrest across the state.

The BRS leaders were taken into custody (later released) illegally on Thursday and they were put under house arrest today, Rama Rao said in a statement.

The Congress government claims that it was inspired by the welfare rule of former PM Indira Gandhi but its

actions now remind of emergency, he alleged.