BRS leader Harish Rao under house arrest, stopped from visiting TIMS

Hyderabad, Aug 19 (IANS) Police in Hyderabad placed BRS Deputy Leader in Telangana Assembly, T. Harish Rao, and some other party leaders under house arrest on Wednesday to stop them from visiting Telangana Institute of Medical Sciences (TIMS).

Tension prevailed at Harish Rao’s residence in Kokapet as police stopped him from leaving for TIMS, Sanathnagar, which was inaugurated by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on August 17.

Police personnel blocked Harish Rao’s vehicle as the former minister insisted that he be allowed to visit the facility, the foundation for which was laid during Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) rule.

Harish Rao asked if Chief Minister Revanth Reddy was scared of corruption in TIMS getting exposed with their visit

Furious over police’s action, BRS cadres staged a protest and a scuffle broke out between the cops and Harish Rao’s supporters.

BRS MLA Sudheer Reddy also arrived at the scene upon learning of the house arrest.

The Opposition party alleged that the government was attempting to stifle its voice through house arrests and detentions.

Former ministers Sabitha Indra Reddy and Talasani Srinivas Yadav were also placed under house arrest.

Harish Rao strongly condemned the illegal detentions and house arrests by the police.

He lashed out at the state government, alleging that these arrests were being made to prevent the exposure of the hollow state of hospitals and the government’s failures.

Harish Rao called it atrocious to place leaders under house arrest for questioning issues concerning the public, and accused the state government of attempting to stifle the Opposition’s voice through an undeclared emergency and police crackdowns.

The BRS leader alleged that the state government was resorting to deliberate delays in construction of TIMS hospitals. He accused the government of withholding full-fledged medical services at TIMS out of fear that former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) would get the credit.

He also claimed that the construction of the super-speciality hospitals, conceptualised and initiated by the BRS government, slowed down after the Congress came to power.

–IANS

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