The Hyderabad Police, on Tuesday, detained YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP) chief YS Sharmila amid high drama even as she was locked herself inside a SUV, which was damaged by TRS cadres in Warangal yesterday.
Sharmila is the sister of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. The police stopped her and asked her to get down. She refused to budge from the SUV and locked herself inside the car. The police then towed the car with Sharmila still sitting inside to SR Nagar police station.
This was the second time Sharmila was arrested in two days. Cops used a tow truck to pull the vehicle to the nearest police station.
Sharmila and her supporters had planned to gherao Pragathi Bhavan, the chief minister’s camp office cum residence on Tuesday in protest against the attack by TRS workers in Warangal on 28 November on her caravan during her padayatra, but the police foiled their plan. Her supporters were arrested as they reached Raj Bhavan Road en route to Pragathi Bhavan along with the damaged bus and car.
There was tension at the police station which was gathered by a large number of people from outside. Sharmila’s mother, YS Vijayamma, was stopped by the police when she tried to leave her residence to meet YS Sharmila. Her husband Anil Kumar reached the police station and told the media: “It is very atrocious. It is not humane,” adding that the TRS MLA’s supporters should have been arrested by the police instead of YS Sharmila.
Today’s protest was called by Sharmila who was on a padayatra across the state after TRS workers damaged the car and set alight the caravan that she was using to sleep overnight at Narsampet yesterday in retaliation to her comments against the local TRS MLA P Sudarshan Reddy.
Sharmila had questioned his sources of income and accused him of land grabbing and extortion while the TRS alleged she used “indecent, unparliamentary and provocative language” against the legislator.
Yesterday, the police had detained her for continuing with the padayatra even after the permission for the yatra was cancelled in view of the tension prevailing in the area and she was brought to Hyderabad.
Meanwhile, Union minister and BJP leader G Kishan Reddy came out in support of Sharmila. He wrote on Twitter: “The outrageous arrogance and absolute insensitivity towards a woman by the KCR government in Telangana is abhorrent. I condemn the detestable act of towing YSRTP leader Smt Sharmila’s vehicle while she was still inside. Muzzling of Opposition voices has become the hallmark of the TRS rule.”
Reacting to this, the TRS has alleged that Sharmila was hand in glove with BJP.
“Her stunt is scripted by Amit Shah and BJP jumped in her support,” said TRS spokesperson M Krihank alleging that she was trying to barge in Pragathi Bhavan.