Published Feb 12, 2026 | 7:43 PM ⚊ Updated Feb 12, 2026 | 7:43 PM
Dharmapuri Arvind. (Facebook)
Synopsis: Nizamabad BJP MP Dharmapuri Arvind has been booked for using abusive language towards police and polling personnel and for unlawfully entering polling booths during Wednesday’s Telangana municipal elections, after a video emerged on social media showing him issuing threats and making abusive remarks. The BRS has demanded immediate action against the MP and accused the authorities of double standards.
Nizamabad BJP MP Dharmapuri Arvind is at the centre of controversy after a video emerged showing him using abusive language and openly threatening police personnel on poll duty during the Telangana municipal elections on Wednesday, 11 February.
The incident triggered sharp political reactions. The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) demanded immediate action against the MP and accused the authorities of double standards.
Police registered a case against Arvind for allegedly using abusive language towards police personnel and polling staff and for unlawfully entering polling booths.
I Town Police Inspector B Raghupathi said the incident took place at Haricharan Marwadi School in Nizamabad, where polling booths 285, 286 and 287 were set up.
Police personnel, including Gurra Narayana; Salim (Head Constable 1019); B. Govardhan (PC 2145) of I Town Police Station; and Srinivas (PC 2947) of Makloor Police Station, were deployed on election bandobust duty at the venue.
Police said that at around 3 pm on Wednesday, the BJP MP arrived at the polling centre with his supporters and asked about the location of Polling Booth No. 287.
He allegedly questioned officials about who had sent a candidate out of the booth and then engaged in a heated argument.
Arvind storms polling station, threatens officials over candidate’s removal
In a video that later went viral on social media, Arvind, with a group of supporters, confronts a police officer on the road outside the polling station. He objected to a contesting candidate allegedly being asked to leave the polling booth while observing the polling process.
Arvind then loses his temper and directs abusive remarks at the officer. He questions how a contesting candidate, identified as Pandu alias Bantu Praveen, could be sent out of the polling station and asks the officer whether he “wanted to be thrashed”.
When the officer replies that he is not responsible for the decision, Arvind demands to know who is. He then accuses officials of arrogance and uses derogatory language against them.
The MP instructs the candidate to re-enter the polling booth and not step out until 5 pm. He tells him that if anyone objects—whether police or polling staff—they should be “kicked” and dragged out.
“How can they send you out of the polling station when you are the candidate?” he asks.
As the confrontation continues, one of Arvind’s supporters tells him that the polling staff are unconcerned about disciplinary action and have allegedly said it does not matter whether they continue on duty or are suspended.
The MP then proceeds towards the polling station with two supporters. The candidate joins them, and the group enters the polling station. As he goes inside, Arvind raises his voice and demands to know which officer asked the candidate to leave.
Inside, his supporters allegedly complained that polling staff are helping the Congress and acting as its “stooges”.
Arvind confronts one official directly, asking his name and where he is from. When the official says he is from Nizamabad, Arvind asks in a threatening tone what he is doing there and says he has no authority to send the candidate out. He tells the official to “behave himself”.
Polling staff tell the MP that the candidate had been filming the polling process, which is not permitted, and that this is why he was asked to step outside. Arvind counters that the video was taken because of alleged malpractices.
He accuses officials of allowing impersonation during voting. When told that checking impersonation is not the specific duty of the official concerned, Arvind replies that if he is not responsible, he should “go home”. He also asks why no action was taken on the candidate’s complaints of impersonation.
The MP also objects to women wearing burqas entering to vote. He reportedly asks officials to ensure burqas are removed and identities verified before allowing them to cast their votes.
In the complaint, police alleged that Arvind used abusive and threatening language towards officers on duty. They accused him of making derogatory remarks and trying to intimidate personnel.
The complaint states that he addressed the candidate and incited him to enter the booth, saying that if any police officer tried to stop or remove him, he should beat the officer and drag him out.
Despite being cautioned by officers present, Arvind and seven to eight supporters allegedly entered polling booths 287, 286 and 285 carrying video and still cameras, which election rules prohibit inside polling stations. Police said the group spoke to polling staff in an abusive manner, causing fear and disruption at the centre.
The complaint alleges that the MP and his supporters obstructed public servants from carrying out their duties. By entering restricted areas with recording equipment and intimidating officials on duty, they interfered with the conduct of polling.
Based on the complaint filed by personnel deployed at the location, police registered Crime No. 51/26 at I Town Police Station, Nizamabad. The case is booked under Sections 132, 223 and 296(b) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 226 of the Telangana Municipalities Act, 2019.
Section 132 of the BNS deals with assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from carrying out duty. Section 223 covers obstruction of public servants in the performance of public functions. Section 296(b) deals with acts causing public nuisance. Section 226 of the Telangana Municipalities Act covers violations related to conduct during municipal elections.
BRS leader Dr R.S. Praveen Kumar said on X that he was leading a party delegation to the Telangana Director General of Police’s office.
In his post, he said the delegation would demand action against “Jagga Reddy, Ex-MLA (of Congress who was also involved in a similar confrontation with police in Sangareddy) and Dharmapuri Aravind, MP for humiliating the police officers on duty.”
He also sought protection for BRS leaders in the face of what he called “brutal aggression by Congress leaders” at some places during the municipal elections.
He further called for the implementation of High Court and Supreme Court guidelines in cases involving alleged false cases against BRS social media activists.
In another post, Praveen Kumar accused the police of selective action. “Imagine, had it been an opposition leader in place of Arvvind Dharmapuri or Jagga Reddy, there would have been blizzard of FIRs,” he wrote.
He added that there would have been instant condemnation by IAS or IPS associations and a media trial. Referring to the earlier NTV episode, he said a senior bureaucrat became the complainant, an FIR was swiftly filed, the NTV premises were raided, and journalists were apprehended “to teach a lesson.”
He also claimed that when he spoke to a police official in Sangareddy, he was told they were “still waiting for instructions from superiors” and that no formal complaint had been received from the allegedly abused inspector.
“Police are unable to act even when their own colleagues are abused in the most outrageous manner,” he wrote, asking whether “some force” was preventing senior officers from taking suo motu cognisance.
