The BRS lashed out at the Congress government in Telangana on Thursday, alleging a deterioration in law and order and a rise in crime against women, citing four incidents of sexual assault that occurred in the past two days.

BRS working president KT Rama Rao attributed the increase in crime to the absence of a full-time home minister, with Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy currently handling the home department. The BRS also protested in the Assembly against the Chief Minister’s remark suggesting that the women MLAs of the Opposition BRS should not be trusted.

BRS leader KT Rama Rao took to ‘X’ and wrote, “The recent spate of sexual assaults against women in Telangana is deeply alarming. It’s a disgrace that in just 48 hours, four heinous incidents occurred, including gang rapes and assaults. These gruesome acts highlight a severe lack of security for women and a deteriorating law and order situation in the state. Even after eight months, the state does not have a home minister, and the increase in crime is a direct result of that.” He also demanded swift justice and strict punishment for the culprits, attaching several newspaper clippings to his post.

In separate cases of sexual assault, two techies were raped: one by a childhood friend and another by a man who lured her with promises of a role in films. Besides, a mentally disabled woman was raped by an acquaintance, and a driver of a private bus raped a woman inside the moving vehicle.

Earlier in the day, the BRS staged a protest inside the Assembly against the Chief Minister’s remark about the party’s two women MLAs, P Sabitha Indra Reddy and V Sunita Laxma Reddy. The protest caused considerable ruckus as they demanded an apology from the Chief Minister. The two women MLAs protested for three hours. The BRS MLAs, wearing black badges, initially protested in the Well of the House before moving to sit in front of the Chief Minister’s chamber in the Assembly. The marshals then forcibly removed them and carried them to police vans. Both BRS working president KT Rama Rao and senior leader T Harish Rao were arrested and later taken to Telangana Bhavan, the BRS headquarters.