To allay public concern and to reply to critics over the health status of the Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, the Chief Minister’s Office on Saturday released video footage of the Chief Minister, supposedly attending a meeting.
The video shows CM KCR in a review meeting with the Chief Secretary and senior officials from various departments. Though most officials could be seen wearing a mask in the 1:33 minute-long video, KCR was the only official not wearing a mask in the room.
Over the past week #WhereisKCR? trended on social media, a public interest litigation was filed and two persons were arrested for protesting and all asking about the whereabouts of KCR. Many pointed out that the CM was missing from action since 30 COVID-19 cases were reported from the CMO. It was reported by the media that the Chief Minister with his family had moved to his farmhouse at Gajwel. The reports gave rise to speculation and concern over KCR's health status.
The petitioner, Naveen alias Teenmar Mallanna, moved the court expressing his concerns over the health of the Chief Minister. Naveen is a well-known Telugu journalist. Speaking to TNM earlier, Mallanna said, "Following the reports in the media and the buzz on social media, many citizens of the state are concerned about the health condition of the Chief Minister. He is not only the Chief Minister but also a stalwart of the Telangana movement."
He further added, "There is no official communication on the whereabouts of the CM. He participated in the centenary birth anniversary celebrations of PV Narasimha Rao and since then, he has not made any public appearance. We approached the court seeking clarity on the health and whereabouts of the CM."
Two men identified as Kotla Sai Baba, 27, and Kotla Hrithik, 22, both affiliated to opposition parties protested before the CMO holding placards, both men were arrested.
An editor of a Telugu vernacular daily, published a report claiming that the Telangana Chief Minister had tested positive for coronavirus, he was booked by the Hyderabad police for publishing false information. However, the journalists insist that they are being 'targeted' for writing against the government.