Hyderabad: Former Minister and Balkonda MLA Vemula Prashanth Reddy was placed under house arrest at his Hyderabad residence on Tuesday ahead of his proposed visit to Bheemgal to pay his last respects to tea-stall owner Polasa Sudhakar.
Sudhakar died after suffering severe burn injuries following an alleged self-immolation at the Bheemgal police station premises on Monday. His family alleged that he had faced harassment from the police, while Nizamabad Police Commissioner Sai Chaitanya said there was no wrongdoing by the police.
Prashanth Reddy condemned the police action against him, saying he was travelling to Bheemgal only to console Sudhakar’s family and pay his last respects. He questioned the reasons for preventing him from visiting his constituency.
The BRS MLA described Sudhakar’s death as a “State murder” and demanded a comprehensive and impartial inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the incident. He also demanded the dismissal of Bheemgal Sub-Inspector Tirupati and sought action against the officer over the incident.
Prashanth Reddy further demanded Rs 25 lakh in ex-gratia for Sudhakar’s family, a government job for one family member and immediate financial and legal assistance.
Calling his house arrest undemocratic, Prashanth Reddy said he would continue his democratic protest until justice was done to Sudhakar’s family. He also said the BRS would approach the Human Rights Commission seeking action against police officials allegedly responsible for the circumstances leading to the incident.
