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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s social media in-charge for Telangana, Sumiran Komarraju, has been booked along with others from his team for putting up posters against Chief Minister Revanth Reddy near Gandhi Bhavan, the Congress headquarters.
As the Revanth Reddy government completed two years in power, the BJP’s poster portrayed him as a negative character from SS Rajamouli’s upcoming film Varanasi. It claimed that the two years of governance saw Revanth’s brother controlling real estate, sending funds from the state to the Congress high command in Delhi, Hindu temple demolitions, a 25% commission on government works, and goons taking over the streets.
The Abids police have registered a case under Sections 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 353(1)(c) (publishing statements with intent to incite a class or community to commit any offence against any other class or community) and 353(2) (publishing statement containing false information) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), according to The Times of India.
The FIR was registered against Sumiran and his team members, Sai Kiran Goud and Ajay, based on a complaint from an assistant medical and health officer of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). The complaint mentioned “defamatory” posters against CM Revanth on Metro pillars, which were later removed by GHMC staff.
On December 8, the Abids police picked up Sumiran and Ajay and served notice to appear for investigation before letting them go.
The police action has been condemned by state BJP leaders, including Union Minister G Kishan Reddy and party MP Arvind Dharmapuri.