Telangana BJP chief detained during fee reimbursement protest, clash with police

Hyderabad, Sep 7 (IANS) The police detained Telangana BJP president N. Ramchander Rao and other BJP leaders and Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha workers to foil their protest at Telangana Assembly over the fee reimbursement issue on Monday. 

The police stopped Ramchander Rao and his supporters as they tried to march towards the Assembly, demanding that the government release fee reimbursement dues. When the police detained Ramchander Rao and were taking him in a police vehicle, BJP cadres tried to stop the vehicle.

This led to a scuffle between protestors and police. Some protestors climbed onto the vehicle, causing minor damage. Some protestors sustained injuries in the scuffle.

“By arresting me for the fourth time in 10 days for demanding to clear pending fee reimbursement dues, the Congress government has exposed its true anti-student mindset. Instead of clearing dues and protecting students’ futures, Congress is silencing those who raise their voice for them,” Ramchander Rao posted on ‘X’.

Holding placards and BJP flags and raising slogans, the protestors in batches tried to proceed towards the Assembly but were stopped by the police.

Protestors squatted on the road but were physically lifted by the police personnel. They were whisked away in police vehicles.

Earlier, a group of protestors who managed to reach near the Assembly building was detained by the police. They were shifted to a police station.

On the first day of the monsoon session of the state legislature, BJYM had called for ‘chalo Assembly’ to demand that the Congress government clear fee reimbursement dues.

The police had made elaborate security arrangements around the Assembly premises to prevent any untoward incidents.

Police force was deployed on all routes leading to the Assembly to prevent protestors. The calls for protest and certain restrictions imposed on traffic affected the movement of vehicles on the busy roads around the Assembly in the central part of the city.

The BJP has been taking up the issue of fee reimbursement. It alleged that the Congress government failed to clear pending fee reimbursement dues of nearly Rs 15,000 crore. It says this has put the future of 40 lakh students at stake.

In the Assembly, BJP MLAs tried to stall the proceedings, demanding a debate on the issue of alleged arbitrary inclusion or private properties under Section 22A of the Registration Act, 1908.

As soon as the House met for the day, the BJP members led by party floor leader Aleti Maheshwar Reddy were on their feet, demanding that the adjournment notice given by them be taken up for debate, by suspending the regular business.

As Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar rejected their demand, they trooped into the well and raised slogans. The Speaker took exception to BJP members carrying placards and directed security staff to take the placards from the members.

However, the BJP members continued their protest, demanding a probe by a sitting judge into the allegations of misuse of the Revenue and Registration machinery, extortion and arbitrary freezing of private properties under Section 22A.

Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu informed the House that the government has already decided on a short discussion on the issue and appealed to BJP members to cooperate in running the House as per the listed agenda.

As the BJP members continued their protest, the Speaker adjourned the House for 15 minutes.

--IANS

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