Kaushik Reddy was arrested outside a Hyderabad news channel office while posing for selfies with BRS supporters. Police, led by Karimnagar ACP Venkata Swamy, waited outside during a debate and took him into custody
Published Jan 14, 2025 | 2:56 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 14, 2025 | 2:56 PM
BRS leaders T Harish Rao and Kaushik Reddy. (X)
Tension peaked in Karimnagar on Tuesday, 14 January and in parts of the state after the dramatic arrest of BRS Huzurabad legislator Padi Kaushik Reddy in Jubilee Hills, in Hyderabad, on Monday night.
However, the second additional judicial magistrate, Karimnagar, granted him bail, as all the sections under which he was arrested were bailable.
The BRS leaders and cadres who were tensed over the prospect of Kaushik Reddy being remanded to custody, heaved a sigh of relief with the court’s order.
The court issued the bail to him in all the three cases that had been filed against him on the condition that he should execute a personal bond for ₹25,000 each for two of the three cases.
Ever since Kaushik Reddy was taken to Karimnagar from Hyderabad, tension was palpable all around town. He was first taken to the Police Training Centre (PTC). From there he was to be taken to one town police station where the cases were registered against him. He was instead taken to three town police station, apparently to keep the BRS workers in the dark on their moves.
Kaushik Reddy, before being taken to the magistrate, said: “My arrest is illegal. No degree of arm-twisting with arrests would deter me from questioning the ruling Congress. The police registered cases against me for confronting an MLA who sold himself out to the Congress. I will continue to question Revanth Reddy until the Congress government implements all the six guarantees.”
Later, after the court granted him bail, he drove to Hyderabad and said he would talk to the media on Wednesday as he did not want to talk politics on festival day (Pongal).
Reacting to the bail, T Harish Rao said,”It is heartening that the court has granted him bail. Though the police registered cases against Kaushik Reddy under bailable sections, he was kept in the police station throughout the night. The DGP should begin serving the law and not his political bosses. All the 28 cases that had been slapped against Kaushik Reddy after the Congress came to power in the state were politically motivated and for questioning the government on its lapses.”
The police arrested Kaushik Reddy outside a news channel office in Hyderabad while BRS supporters were posing with him for selfies. A huge force of police led by Karimnagar ACP Venkata Swamy lay in wait outside a TV news channel office, where Kaushik Reddy was taking part in a debate. They picked him up as he emerged from the office.
As Kaushik Reddy was taken into custody, he argued with police, demanding an explanation for his arrest and the use of force. The police informed him it was related to cases in Karimnagar and transported him there around 10:30 p.m. on Monday. After recording his statement at three police stations, his arrest was officially logged after midnight. Authorities provided him a bed from the Police Training Centre for the night. The next morning, he underwent medical tests before being presented before a magistrate.
The arrest followed complaints that Reddy had verbally abused and attacked Jagtial MLA Dr. M Sanjay Kumar during an official event in Karimnagar on Sunday, attended by ministers N Uttam Kumar Reddy, Ponnam Prabhakar, and D Sridhar Babu. The complaint was filed by Sanjay Kumar’s PA, K Vinod.
Additionally, the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) of Karimnagar filed a complaint accusing Kaushik Reddy of disrupting the official meeting with his behavior. District Grandhalaya Samstha chairman Sattu Mallesh also lodged a complaint, alleging Reddy had used abusive language against him.
To maintain order and prevent unrest in the state and Hyderabad, the police placed former ministers T Harish Rao and KT Rama Rao under house arrest at dawn, preventing them from inciting disturbances.
(Edited by Ananya Rao)
