Hyderabad, Sep 2026 : Telangana BJP president N. Ramchander Rao was arrested by Hyderabad Police on Tuesday after he attempted to travel to Nalgonda district to meet BJP leader Nagam Varshit Reddy, whose residence was allegedly attacked by Congress workers.
Police had placed Ramchander Rao under house arrest at his residence in Tarnaka earlier in the day, deploying personnel outside his home to prevent him from travelling to Nalgonda. When the BJP state president later came out and attempted to leave in a vehicle, police detained him and shifted him to Gandhi Nagar Police Station.
Ramchander Rao took to social media to allege that the Congress government was attempting to prevent him from meeting the Nalgonda district BJP president and expressing solidarity with his family following the alleged attack.
He said the residence of Varshit Reddy had been ransacked by what he described as “Congress goons” and questioned the action taken by the state government. Ramchander Rao alleged that his detention demonstrated a disregard for democratic principles and the Constitution.
The BJP has alleged that Congress workers attacked Varshit Reddy’s residence in Nalgonda on Monday evening following a reported confrontation between supporters of the two parties. The saffron party further claimed that members of Varshit Reddy’s family, including his mother, were physically assaulted during the incident.
According to the BJP, instead of taking stringent action against those allegedly responsible for the attack, the Congress-led state government had chosen to restrict the movement of the BJP state president. The party strongly objected to the police action and demanded accountability over the alleged assault on its workers and leaders.
Union Minister for Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy condemned Ramchander Rao’s arrest, describing it as another instance of what he called an attack on democracy. He alleged that the detention amounted to an attempt to silence the Opposition.
Kishan Reddy also referred to Ramchander Rao’s detention as the second house arrest of a BJP leader within a week and accused the Congress government of adopting an anti-democratic approach towards political opponents.
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar also criticised the arrest. In a social media post, he questioned the contrasting treatment allegedly being meted out to BJP workers and those accused of attacking them.
“Attack BJP? Walk free. Stand with BJP? Get arrested,” Bandi Sanjay said, alleging that no adequate action had been taken in cases involving attacks on BJP leaders and party offices.
He claimed that while the residence of the Nalgonda BJP leader had allegedly been attacked and the BJP state office had also faced an assault, the government had failed to take firm action against those responsible.
Bandi Sanjay demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Ramchander Rao, alleging that the Congress government was using the police machinery to suppress opposition voices.
The latest confrontation has intensified political tensions between the ruling Congress and the BJP in Telangana. The BJP has maintained that its leaders should be allowed to meet party workers and affected families, while accusing the government of selectively using law-enforcement agencies against the Opposition.
The Congress government has yet to publicly respond to the BJP leaders’ allegations regarding Ramchander Rao’s detention and the incident at Varshit Reddy’s residence.
