Telangana Minister Malla Reddy says CRPF personnel assaulted his son during I-T search

Even as the raids continued for the second day on Wednesday, Malla Reddy forced his way out of his residence and rushed to the hospital in Suraram, where his son Mahender Reddy has been admitted.

The I-T officials and the CRPF tried to stop Malla Reddy from leaving the residence, but the minister ignored them. He told them they could not stop him as he had to visit his son in the hospital.

Malla Reddy also told the reporters who visited the hospital that their family doctor was not allowed to visit his son.

“The CRPF police have beaten my elder son the entire night and he has been admitted to hospital. They are not allowing my son’s doctor to visit him. They are not even allowing me to see him. Even if they get some (unaccounted) money, what’s wrong with it? They will have to do their job,” he said.

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Political witch-hunt: Minister 

According to the minister, he came to know that his son was hospitalised through a TV news bulletin and rushed to the hospital.

He argued that the CRPF could not stop him from visiting his son. His wife, he said, was upset over the raids and was crying when he left the house.

The I-T officials followed Malla Reddy till he reached the hospital. Speaking to reporters, the minister lashed out at the BJP for resorting to a political witch-hunt.

Furious over the searches, he demanded to know the justification for the sudden crackdown.

“Am I doing anything illegal? Am I a smuggler or am I running a casino? On the other hand, I have made higher education accessible to the poor at my colleges. Is it something wrong? Do they (I-T officials) want to confiscate my entire property and buildings? Let them do it if they want to,” he said.

The minister flayed the BJP for sending about 200 officials as though it was some kind of a blitzkrieg. The I-T officials were backed by the CRPF. “What does all this indicate? The raid is politically motivated,” he said.

Asked about the seizure of cash from his and his relatives’ residences, the minister said that it was natural that some students pay their fees in cash.

The minister claimed that only a total of ₹6 lakh of (unaccounted) cash was found by the I-T sleuths.

“We run colleges and hostels. No wonder there is cash. Everything is accounted for,” he said and pointed out that he did not mind if they did their job.

“But they are exceeding their limits. The CRPF used force against us. Throughout the night, I-T officials made us suffer,” he added.

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(With inputs from PTI)