HANAMKONDA: High political tension erupted in Hanamkonda after senior Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader and former minister T. Harish Rao was arrested while attempting to participate in a protest outside the District Collectorate. The situation escalated rapidly when police detained the BRS Legislature Party deputy leader and escorted him on foot to the Subedari Police Station, triggering widespread protests by party workers and leading to heated scuffles with law enforcement officials.
Harish Rao had arrived in the city to extend his firm support to Telangana Non-Gazetted Officers (TNGOs) and government workers who were demonstrating over pending Dearness Allowance clearances, delayed retirement benefits, and unresolved issues surrounding the Employee Health Scheme. Earlier in the morning, security forces had placed the former minister under house arrest at his Kokapet residence in Hyderabad to prevent his travel to Warangal. However, the senior leader managed to bypass the police restrictions to reach Hanamkonda, where he also intended to address students at the Government Polytechnic College protesting against the proposed integration of polytechnic education into the Young India Skill University.
Following his detention at the venue, police escorted Harish Rao on foot toward the Subedari Police Station rather than immediately placing him into a transport vehicle, which further fueled outrage among BRS supporters. Addressing reporters while in custody, Harish Rao harshly criticized the Congress-led state government, accusing Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy of using police force, the Anti-Corruption Bureau, and Vigilance departments to intimidate employee union leaders and suppress peaceful dissent. Hundreds of BRS cadres subsequently staged a sit-in outside the police station, raising slogans against the government and demanding the immediate release of their leader.
Law enforcement agencies deployed extra personnel, task force teams, and special security units around the Hanamkonda Collectorate and Subedari Police Station to control the crowds and manage severe traffic bottlenecks across the city. Harish Rao warned that the BRS would aggressively raise employee demands, student grievances, and government failure to clear pending dues in the upcoming State Assembly sessions. Heavy police forces remain stationed at key intersections across Hanamkonda and Warangal as a precautionary measure to prevent any further escalation of public unrest.
