Special Correspondent
Hyderabad: Tension prevailed across Telangana on Thursday as police detained several Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders, including the party’s working president K.T. Rama Rao and senior leader T. Harish Rao, ahead of the party’s planned ‘Chalo Bus Bhavan’ protest.
The BRS had announced the agitation demanding the immediate rollback of the recent hike in Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) bus fares. Party leaders said they intended to reach Bus Bhavan, the TSRTC headquarters, to submit a representation to the corporation’s Managing Director.
However, even before the protest could begin, police placed top BRS leaders under house arrest citing law and order concerns. Heavy police deployment was seen outside the residences of KTR and Harish Rao.
Dramatic scenes were witnessed near Bus Bhavan as several BRS workers and local leaders who attempted to march towards the office were detained. The police presence in the city, particularly around RTC crossroads and key approach roads, was significantly increased since early morning.
Taking to X, KTR hit out at the Congress government, saying, “All I wanted to do was board an RTC bus peacefully, travel to the RTC MD’s office and submit a letter demanding rollback of the steep hike in bus fares. Look at the number of police officers deployed right now outside my house!”
In another post, he quipped, “If the police showed the same enthusiasm in curbing crimes across Hyderabad, it would benefit citizens far more.”
Harish Rao too condemned the detentions, terming them “a desperate attempt to silence the opposition.”
Speaking to India Today, KTR asserted that the BRS would continue its agitation. “No matter how many restrictions or detentions they impose, our fight against the fare hike will continue until it is withdrawn. Such police actions are nothing new to us or our party,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Congress government has maintained that the recent bus fare revision was unavoidable due to rising fuel costs and the need to sustain RTC operations.
The BRS has vowed to intensify its protests in the coming days, accusing the government of “anti-people” policies and burdening the common man.
