Former Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA Patnam Narendra Reddy confessed to having orchestrated the attack on Vikarabad District Collector Prateek Jain under the directive of BRS working president KT Rama Rao (KTR).
The former MLA was taken into custody by the police on Wednesday in connection with the violence at Vikarabad’s Lagacharla area.
The police presented the report during remand proceedings, which revealed that Reddy, during questioning, admitted to the conspiracy, asserting that KTR and other top BRS figures directed him to destabilise the government and damage its reputation.
“He [Narender Reddy] confessed to having committed this offence with criminal conspiracy by abetting the accused persons… as per the directions of their party’s prominent leader, i.e., KTR and others,” a police report stated.
The investigation uncovered 84 calls over 70 days between Reddy and Bogamoni Suresh, a BRS youth leader. The calls reportedly involved plans to incite violence amid local protests over land acquisitions. Reddy and 46 others face charges of conspiracy and attempted murder.
The Congress and the BRS blamed each other for the violence in Vikarabad.
WHAT’S THE VIKARABAD INCIDENT
On November 11, an agitated crowd of mostly farmers confronted the district officials, including the district collector, during a public meeting for a proposed pharmaceutical company in the region.
Jain and Kodangal Area Development Authority Venkat Reddy had planned to meet the locals who feared losing their land in the proposed deal.
However, they had to return when the protesting crowd started throwing stones at their vehicles.
The villagers have been protesting for several weeks against the proposed pharma company, citing concerns over potential environmental impact and land acquisition issues.
Tensions prevailed in the area since then.
KTR SAYS ARREST POLITICAL, DENIES INVOLVEMENT
Addressing Reddy’s arrest, KTR called it politically motivated. “On what grounds was Narender Reddy arrested? He’s not a bandit. This wasn’t an arrest; it was a kidnapping by the police,” the BRS leader said, claiming that state authorities were abusing their power to suppress opposition voices in Vikarabad.
KTR countered with accusations against the Congress-led state government, alleging corruption and land manipulation in Vikarabad.
Speaking at Telangana Bhavan, KTR claimed the government misled the public and the Telangana High Court by pretending the Hyderabad Pharma City project was ongoing while it was abandoned. He alleged the land was being repurposed to benefit Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s relatives.
He pointed to video evidence allegedly showing threats to local residents by individuals tied to the CM’s office, as well as ongoing local resistance to the acquisitions, which he claimed had been ignored by the government.
