BRS leaders staged a protest outside the Narayanguda Police Station in Hyderabad on Tuesday, demanding the release of party MLCs Tata Madhu and Naveen Kumar Reddy, who were arrested following Monday’s confrontation involving BRS legislators and police outside the Telangana Assembly.
BRS steps up protest after MLC arrests
The demonstration came hours after police arrested the two BRS MLCs in connection with the developments at the Assembly. Tata Madhu was arrested around 7 am and taken to Narayanguda Police Station before being produced before the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in Nampally for judicial custody.
BRS leaders have strongly objected to the arrests, accusing the Congress-led Telangana government of using police action against Opposition representatives. The party has maintained that its legislators were protesting over public issues and alleged that the arrests were politically motivated.
Tata Madhu booked over alleged remarks
The immediate legal issue concerns alleged derogatory and abusive remarks against Telangana Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar during Monday’s confrontation.
Police registered Crime No. 364/2026 at Saifabad Police Station under Section 352 read with Section 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The complaint was filed by Pollepalli Venkatesham, Officer on Special Duty to the Speaker.
According to the complaint, Tata Madhu and Naveen Kumar Reddy, along with others, were present in a security area of the Assembly when the alleged remarks were made in the presence of journalists, Assembly staff and security personnel. Police said the investigation is underway.
Tata Madhu, however, has denied insulting the Speaker and said his comments were directed at police personnel during the confrontation.
BRS calls arrests action against Opposition
The arrests have widened an already intense political confrontation between the BRS and the Congress government led by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.
BRS leaders have described the arrests as an attempt to restrict the Opposition from raising public concerns inside the legislature. BRS MLC Naveen Reddy, following his arrest, said the party would continue raising issues concerning people despite the action against its leaders.
BRS working president KT Rama Rao has also accused the state government of resorting to arrests and detentions instead of addressing what the party says are unfulfilled election commitments.
Dispute began with Assembly protest
The latest confrontation follows a BRS protest outside the Telangana Assembly on Monday. KTR, former minister T Harish Rao and other BRS legislators had gathered to protest against the Congress government's performance after 1,000 days in office.
The legislators were wearing black T-shirts carrying slogans criticising the government. Police said the issue was not the colour of the clothing but the slogans printed on the T-shirts, which they described as objectionable. The standoff subsequently escalated into a confrontation between BRS legislators and police.
Several BRS leaders, including KTR and Harish Rao, were detained during the protest. Police have also registered separate cases against several BRS leaders over allegations of obstructing and assaulting police personnel during the confrontation.
Political row intensifies in Telangana
The dispute also reached the Assembly, where Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar became emotional while the alleged remarks were discussed. Congress leaders condemned the alleged comments and sought action against Tata Madhu, while the BRS rejected the allegations.
The Telangana High Court separately directed the state DGP not to prevent BRS MLAs from entering the Assembly to attend the ongoing session, adding another legal dimension to the confrontation between the ruling party and the Opposition.
The protest outside Narayanguda Police Station marks a further escalation as the BRS presses for the release of its arrested MLCs, while police proceedings linked to Monday's Assembly confrontation continue.
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