Minister In Hospital With Bruises
Hyderabad: The rivalry between P Shankar Rao and Sabita Indra Reddy turned ugly on Tuesday when alleged supporters of the home minister attacked the textiles minister when he visited a colony in Maheshwaram mandal.
Pelted with eggs and stones and his car damaged by local activists, Shankar Rao was admitted to Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS). Doctors at the institute said the minister had bruises on the left side of his body and that he was visibly shaken by the attack. “Since he is a diabetic and also suffers from hypertension, we have decided to keep him under 48-hour observation though his condition is stable,” said a Nims official.
While Shankar Rao has alleged that the followers of Sabita Indra Reddy are behind the attack, the latter said the visit of the textiles minister to the assembly constituency of the home minister without informing her was a direct act of confrontation. Following the attack, the LB Nagar police registered two separate cases against both the groups. Shankar Rao ignored cops’ advice
According to the police, Shankar Rao went to NTR Nagar near the airport to meet the family members of Jahangeer Ali, a history sheeter. The minister had met Jahangeer at Apollo Hospital in Jubilee Hills (where he was admitted) on Monday night and had proceeded to his house in NTR Nagar the next morning to call on his family members.
But no sooner did he arrive at the spot, a huge mob, alleged by Shankar Rao as being Congress workers and supporters of the home minister, attacked him with eggs, tomatoes and stones. The windshields of his Innova car were damaged in the attack. The police then quickly took the minister into the safety of Jahangeer’s house, and after reinforcements arrived, escorted him to Nims.
Later during the day, Jahangeer’s wife Razia Sultana lodged a complaint with LB Nagar police alleging that supporters of Sabita Indra Reddy attacked the minister, herself and her family members. A case was booked under sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 504 (insult intended to provoke breach of peace) of the IPC. A counter complaint was lodged by one Kondal Reddy of Kothapet against the family of Jahangeer and cases were booked under sections 147, 148 (rioting) and 324 (voluntarily causing hurt with dangerous weapons or means) of IPC.
Police officials said that after meeting Jahangeer at the hospital on Monday night, Shankar Rao’s decision to visit his family at NTR Nagar was seen as a direct challenge to the power of the home minister by her associates and they decided to oppose it. “We advised the minister not to come to NTR Nagar as there was a huge mob waiting to oppose his visit. But he refused to listen to us,” said an official of LB Nagar police station.
While Shankar Rao has charged Sabita Indira Reddy with indulging in corruption in the transfer of police officials, at the heart of Tuesday’s attack is said to be a five and half acre piece of land. Locals alleged that supporters of the home minister were trying to encroach on the land and that Shankar Rao was trying to thwart it with the help of Jahangeer.
According to the police, Jahangeer was involved in 11 criminal cases and a history sheet which was closed in 1995 was reopened against him this month after his involvement in criminal offences. But, in turn, Jahangeer alleged that the history sheet was opened against him due to the intervention of Sabita Reddy and her son Karthik Reddy. Alleging that he was being threatened by the home minister’s associates, Jahangeer has even approached the High Court recently. The solo fight of Jahangeer against Sabita’s family brought him to the notice of Shankar Rao, who himself has been very vocal about the alleged misuse of power by the home minister, said sources.
According to the police, Jahangeer himself was a notorious land grabber and trouble erupted between him and Sabita’s associates when he tried to involve himself in a settlement relating to the disputed land located at survey number 9 of NTR Nagar. “The trouble resulted in reopening of history sheet against Jahangeer and fearing an arrest, about four days ago, he got himself admitted in a hospital,” said a police official.
No comments:
Post a Comment