For third time in 12 days, Congress leaders detained

Party had planned to protest graft at Godavari projects

Dozens of leaders and workers of the Congress were placed under house arrest or taken into custody by the police on Saturday across the state when they attempted to go to irrigation projects on the Godavari as part of the ‘Jala Deeksha’ programme to highlight alleged corruption and delay in their construction.

This is the third time in this month that Congress leaders have been placed under house arrest or detained. On June 2, Congress leaders were stopped from going to pending projects on the Krishna and on June 11 when they planned a Chalo Secretariat programme. BJP leaders were detained on Friday.

In May, the police prevented the Congress leaders twice, once when they headed out to paddy procurement centres and when they took out rallies in support of guest workers. To stop the Congress leaders on Saturday, the police picked up some of them late on Friday night while they were on their way to the project sites. Others were not allowed to leave their houses on Saturday.

TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, who was stopped from leaving his house, protested against the attitude of the police despite his letter to the Director-General of Police on Friday demanding to know the reasons for such action.

AICC secretary A. Sampath Kumar, along with Congress workers reached the Gouravelli and Gabudavelli reservoir, by giving the police a slip. He was, however, arrested and moved to Husnabad police station. Legislator A. Podem Veeraiah was arrested while he was going to the Seetharama project and sat on a dharna in Khammam.

Former MP V. Hanumanth Rao and former MLC Ramulu Naik were arrested at Yellandu guest house and shifted to Kothagudem police station while they were going to the Dummugudem project.

MLC T. Jeevan Reddy was arrested in Jagityal on his way to Tummidihatti and Ponnam Prabhakar at the Sircilla Congress office.

TPCC working president A. Revanth Reddy and party leaders T. Jayaprakash Reddy, Kusum Kumar. Ch. Vamshichand Reddy, Shabbir Ali, Marri Shashidhar Reddy and Mallu Ravi were placed under house arrest in Hyderabad.

TPCC general secretary H. Venugopal Rao was arrested at Ramagundam. CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka was place under house arrest in Wyra of Khammam district.