Hyderabad, November 2026 : Telangana Police on Monday detained senior Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader and former MLA Patnam Narender Reddy while he was travelling to Kosgi in Narayanpet district to console the family of a deceased party worker and attend the funeral.
Kosgi falls under the Kodangal Assembly constituency, represented by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy. The police action reportedly came amid the Chief Minister's presence in the constituency, where he was on the third day of his visit on Monday.
Narender Reddy, who earlier represented Kodangal in the Assembly, was stopped by police at Baharpet crossroads in Parigi. He strongly objected to the action, questioning why he was being prevented from visiting the family of a deceased party worker.
“What kind of people's government is this? When our party leader, an activist, dies, will you stop people from going to pay their last respects?” he asked the police personnel.
The BRS leader accused the Congress government led by Revanth Reddy of targeting party workers and opposition leaders through what he described as vindictive actions.
BRS Working President K. T. Rama Rao strongly condemned the detention, describing it as an illegal arrest and alleging that it reflected the undemocratic and autocratic approach of the Congress government.
Rama Rao questioned the need for police to detain a leader who was merely travelling to offer support to the family of a deceased party worker and participate in the funeral.
“What was the need to arrest a leader who was simply going to offer support to the family of a party worker in distress? Has standing by a grieving family become a crime under this so-called 'Indiramma Rajyam'?” he asked.
He alleged that the Congress government, which had come to power promising 'Praja Palana' or people's governance, was now restricting democratic rights and attempting to silence opposition voices.
Accusing the ruling party of using police action and coercive measures to intimidate political opponents, Rama Rao said the BRS would not be deterred by such steps.
“They have turned the act of intimidating the opposition—through illegal arrests and coercive measures—into their primary mode of governance. The BRS will not be cowed by such vindictive actions of the Congress government. Our struggle on behalf of the people and our party workers will continue,” he said.
Rama Rao demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Narender Reddy.
BRS Legislative Party Deputy Leader and former minister Patlolla Sabitha Indra Reddy also criticised the police action. She said it was unjust and undemocratic to intercept and detain Narender Reddy while he was on his way to offer condolences and attend the funeral.
She questioned what had prompted the government to prevent a political leader from visiting a grieving family.
Sabitha Indra Reddy further accused the Congress government of abandoning its promise to end the era of barricades and ensure people's governance. She alleged that the state was witnessing increasing restrictions on dissent, detentions of opposition leaders and police action against political opponents.
The BRS leaders maintained that the detention was an attempt to curb opposition activity and reiterated their demand for Narender Reddy's release.
