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Two of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao’s (KTR) aides have alleged that they were attacked by a group of masked men at the Saifabad police station on September 14, when they were called for questioning in a recent case against them.
Khairatabad Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) K Shilpavalli has denied the allegation, stating that a group of men had gone to the station seeking permission for a Ganesh Chaturthi DJ event. “They argued with KTR’s aides and the police and left. The CCTV footage showed no assault,” she added in a statement to the media.
Earlier on September 10, KTR’s Public Relations Officer (PRO) Manikya Mahesh and personal assistant Mahender Reddy were booked for allegedly abusing police officers on duty at the Telangana Assembly while the BRS was carrying out a protest against the Congress-led government. Following the FIR, the duo approached the Telangana High Court on September 11 to quash the FIR.
While the FIR was not quashed, Justice J Sreenivasa Rao directed the police to continue the investigation without any coercive action against the two men. The police were also directed to not arrest either Mahesh or Mahender.
However, both of them were called to the Saifabad police station on September 14 in connection with the investigation.
“A group of 25-30 men wearing masks attacked us in the station premises. But police officials intervened before the attack escalated,” Mahesh told TNM, adding that the men fled the station immediately.
Mahesh alleged that Saifabad police had not accepted his complaint over the attack. “Our point is simple. If this can happen to KTR’s PRO or anyone in his team, then the situation is far more dire for a regular party member. Also this happened inside the interrogation room of a police station, not an ordinary public place. But the police didn’t register our FIR.”
Mahesh also told TNM that they were called to the police station at 10 am and were made to stay there till 12 am in the night. “After the initial round of questioning, we were just made to wait for a few hours. We were told that they would let us go soon. The attack on us took place around 4 pm after which we were asked to stay until midnight,” he added.
In a statement, KTR termed the attack “extremely heinous” and accused the Congress government of allowing a “rule of rowdies and goons” to prevail in Telangana.
