Telangana erupted in protests on Saturday, with various sections of society rallying against the Congress government over multiple issues. The unrest began with Group I aspirants clashing with police in Hyderabad’s Ashok Nagar, leading to brutal crackdowns and detentions. Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar joined the protests but was detained by the police. In Secunderabad, devotees protesting the desecration of a temple faced a violent lathi charge, escalating tensions further. Meanwhile, across the state, farmers protested after the government’s failure to provide Rythu Bharosa assistance. Tragedy struck with suicides linked to police highhandedness, adding to the growing discontent. Amid this chaos, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy doubled down on his HYDRAA demolition campaign against political rivals, while ignoring allegations against his own party members. Despite mounting crises, he remained focused on targeting “land sharks” rather than addressing the widespread unrest.
Telangana found itself in the grip of widespread unrest on Saturday, as protests erupted across the state over various issues, escalating tensions and exposing the deepening dissatisfaction among multiple sections of society. The discontent, which spread like wildfire, was met with heavy-handed police action in several areas, leading to clashes, violence, and even tragic incidents of suicide and suicide attempts. In the midst of this turmoil, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s focus on threatening his political opponents with the controversial HYDRAA demolition drive only added fuel to the fire, as he ignored the growing crisis and rising public anger.
Group I Aspirants Lead the Charge in Hyderabad
The day’s chaos began in Hyderabad’s Ashok Nagar, where Group I aspirants, preparing for state public service exams, were protesting against what they alleged to be unfair treatment and delayed examination processes. The protest had started the previous night and continued into Saturday morning. Fearing that the demonstrators would take to the streets in large numbers, the police responded with excessive force, resorting to lathi charges on the aspirants, including women, who had come out of their hostels to join the protests.
The situation quickly escalated when several women claimed that they were not only beaten indiscriminately but also detained for over 12 hours without any legal grounds. The detentions took place during the previous night, further enraging the protestors and drawing attention to the police’s highhandedness. The arrival of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Bandi Sanjay Kumar, at the protest site intensified the situation. As the protests grew in size, a spontaneous call for a ‘Chalo Secretariat’ march was made, with Sanjay Kumar joining the protestors.
However, before the march could gain momentum, the police intervened again, detaining the Union Minister and forcibly bundling him into a vehicle. He was later dropped at the BJP State office in Nampally, drawing criticism from his supporters. Clashes broke out between BJP workers and supporters of the ruling BRS party (Bharat Rashtra Samithi) when the latter’s leaders, including RS Praveen Kumar and V. Srinivas Goud, attempted to interact with the aspirants. The police arrested the BRS leaders and removed them from the area to prevent further violence. These clashes reflected the growing political tension in the state as both parties tried to capitalize on the issue.
Secunderabad’s Temple Protest Erupts into Violence
While the protests by Group I aspirants were ongoing in Ashok Nagar, another flashpoint of unrest emerged in Secunderabad. Devotees had gathered at the Muthyalamma temple to protest against the desecration of the temple that had occurred the previous week. The protest, supported by local traders who called for a bandh, saw large numbers of people gather around the temple.
The police, once again, responded with force, resorting to a lathi charge that injured several people, including women. The protestors, angered by the police action, retaliated by pelting stones and footwear at the police. The violence spread to nearby areas, including the Monda Market locality, where a group of people attempted to storm a hotel where the alleged desecrators of the temple had held meetings. This act further stoked communal tensions, with emotions running high over the religious sensitivities involved.
The police’s heavy-handed approach in Secunderabad sparked outrage, as videos of the lathi charge and the injured protestors spread on social media, drawing widespread condemnation of the state government’s handling of the situation.
Farmers’ Fury Over Rythu Bharosa Assistance
As protests roiled the state capital, discontent was also brewing in rural Telangana, where farmers took to the streets in anger over the government’s failure to provide Rythu Bharosa input assistance for the Kharif season. Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageshwara Rao had indirectly admitted during a press conference that the much-needed financial aid, which had been disbursed under the Rythu Bandhu scheme by the BRS government since 2018, would not be available this season.
The news came as a devastating blow to farmers, many of whom were already struggling with financial instability due to delayed rains and other agricultural challenges. Across the state, farmers broke down in tears at the prospect of not receiving the crucial support. Their grief soon turned into rage, with protests erupting in several districts. Effigies of the Congress government and the agriculture minister were burnt in anger, as farmers demanded immediate action from the state to address their plight.
The protests by farmers underscored the growing frustration with the government, which had failed to meet the expectations it had set with its flagship agricultural schemes. The BRS government’s inability to disburse the Rythu Bharosa assistance, coupled with rising input costs and a lack of clear support, only intensified the sense of betrayal among the farming community.
Police Brutality and Suicides Shock the State
Amid the intensifying protests, two shocking incidents of suicide attempts linked to police brutality came to light, further inflaming public sentiment. In the first incident, a tribal youth from Jangaon district immolated himself in front of the Palakurthi police station. He had been summoned along with his wife for counseling over a domestic dispute, but he claimed in a video recorded before his death that he had been harassed by the police. He specifically named eight police officers, including the Circle Inspector (CI) and Sub-Inspector (SI), accusing them of forcing him to take the drastic step. Despite receiving treatment at a hospital, the young man succumbed to his injuries, sparking outrage in his community.
In a separate incident in Nagarkurnool district, a young man attempted to hang himself after being humiliated by a local SI, who had ordered him and two of his friends to shave their heads. The officer’s drastic action was reportedly in response to the young men having combed their hair in front of him at a police station, following a minor altercation with staff at a fuel station. The young man’s suicide attempt, driven by public humiliation, once again shone a harsh light on police misconduct in the state.
These incidents of police brutality and the resulting suicides added to the public’s growing frustration with law enforcement and the government’s apparent indifference to the human toll of these actions.
CM Revanth Reddy’s Focus on HYDRAA Amidst Crisis
While the state simmered with unrest, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy remained undeterred in his focus on HYDRAA (Hyderabad Urban Development and Real Estate Authority). Speaking at a Rajiv Sadbhavana Yatra program, the CM reiterated his commitment to using HYDRAA to crack down on “land sharks” and political opponents accused of encroaching on government land. His warnings hinted at more bulldozer-led demolition drives, a controversial tactic aimed at rooting out illegal constructions but also seen as a politically motivated attack on his rivals.
What was striking, however, was the CM’s silence on the widespread protests and the allegations of police brutality sweeping the state. While Revanth Reddy was vocal about taking action against political foes, he avoided addressing the unrest among Group I aspirants, the injured devotees in Secunderabad, the distressed farmers, or the tragic suicides resulting from police excesses. This selective focus on HYDRAA, while ignoring the urgent issues facing the state, drew sharp criticism from opposition leaders and the public alike.
Saturday’s events exposed the deep fractures in Telangana’s political and social landscape. From the streets of Hyderabad to the rural heartlands, the state is witnessing an unprecedented outpouring of public frustration against the government. The heavy-handed response of the police, combined with the government’s failure to address key issues like farmers’ welfare and police misconduct, has only deepened the crisis. As the protests continue to escalate, it remains to be seen how the state’s leadership will respond—or whether they will continue to focus on political rivalries rather than addressing the mounting discontent among the people.