7 held over 'purification' protest near KCR's farmhouse

Telangana Police have arrested seven people in a case relating to the alleged ‘purification’ of roads at Erravalli near the farmhouse of BRS president and former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao in Siddipet district.

A former sarpanch of Vardarajpur village and six leaders of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) were taken into custody on Monday from a lodge in Vijayawada in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.

The accused were brought to Gajwel and produced before a magistrate, who then sent them to judicial custody for 14 days.

Subsequently, they were shifted to Siddipet jail.

The accused had allegedly performed 'purification' rituals, using turmeric water, on September 9.

The 'purification' was done a day after Congress workers and Dalit organisations held a ‘Chavu-Dappu’ (funeral drum-beating) protest in the area. The protest by Congress workers and Dalit organisations was against alleged derogatory and abusive remarks by two BRS MLCs against Telangana Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar.

Following the protest, BRS workers sprinkled turmeric water on the roads and other areas through which the protesters had passed.

The alleged 'purification' had sparked a huge controversy with the ruling Congress party demanding strong action over what it called 'insult' to Dalits.

On a complaint by local Congress leaders, police registered a case and took up the investigation. Forensic evidence was collected as part of the investigation.

Police had been on the lookout for the accused, finally tracing them to a lodge in Vijayawada after one of them switched on his mobile phone.

The protest by Congress workers and Dalit organisations near KCR's farmhouse had followed the September 7 incident at the Assembly gate.

During the scuffle between BRS legislators and police, two BRS MLCs had allegedly made certain derogatory and abusive remarks against Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar.

Both the MLCs were booked and arrested the next day. However, a court had ordered their release the same day.