The gherao planned by the Congress party at Raj Bhavan in protest against the three new controversial farm laws made by the Centre last year and also to express their strong Opposition against the statutes turned out to be tense with police obstructing the party leaders’ march at different places and arresting them.
The police also did not allow some Congress leaders such as AICC secretary and former legislator S.A. Sampath Kumar come out of their residences making it ‘house arrest’ literally and arrested those on a march towards the Raj Bhavan stating that the protest planned by them has no permission. Police were deployed in large numbers at Raj Bhavan and at several places leading to it at Panjagutta crossroads, Khairatabad crossroads, Lumbini Park and at Secretariat to prevent the Congress leaders’ march towards Raj Bhavan.
Congress workers also came out on to the roads at a few places including at Nampally, Lumbini Park and others but were obstructed and bundled into the waiting police vans. The police arrested Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, working president A. Revanth Reddy, senior leader Komatireddy Venkat Reddy.
Besides, the police also held former TPCC president Ponnala Lakshmaiah, former APCC president V. Hanumantha Rao, former Union Minister Balaram Naik and several others. A jostling between the police and the Congress workers has also taken place at Lumbini Park from where several senior leaders planned to march towards Raj Bhavan. Movement of the vehicular traffic was also disrupted at several places due to the Congress leaders’ protest march towards Raj Bhavan.
