Hyderabad:

The Telangana government plans to increase the quota of backward classes in the upcoming local body elections.

Holding a review meeting at the Secretariat on the proposal to enhance BC quota in the local body elections, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Monday asked the officials to prepare an action plan in this regard.

He asked the officials to furnish the details of the implementation of reservation in the panchayat elections and also the proposal to increase the quota in the upcoming elections.

The officials apprised the Chief Minister the procedure followed in the previous panchayat elections and the preparations being made for the upcoming panchayat elections.

As Revanth Reddy enquired about the requirement of time to complete the already approved caste census and the conduct of local body elections on the basis of the outcome of the caste census, they said that the caste census was already conducted in Karnataka in 2015 and in Bihar in 2023.

The details of the caste census in Andhra Pradesh have not been released yet.

Officials explained that the caste enumeration format adopted by the Central government in 2011 has 53 columns and it will take at least five and half months to complete the caste census by adding three more columns.

The Chief Minister ordered the officials to prepare an action plan to increase BC quota as well as to conduct the elections at the earliest to avoid delay in the release of central funds to the local bodies, as he discussed the issue of increasing reservation elaborately in the meeting.

Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Health and Family Welfare Minister Damodara Rajanarasimha, BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, Rural Development Minister Sitakka, Forest Minister Konda Surekha, Chief Minister’s Advisor Vem Narender Reddy and other attended the meeting. Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari, CMO Secretary V. Seshadri, Chief Minister’s Secretary Dr G. Chandrasekhar Reddy, BC Welfare Department Secretary Burra Venkatesham, Panchayat Raj Department Secretary D.S. Lokesh Kumar, Law Department Secretary Rendla Tirupati and others were also present.

Former minister Jana Reddy explained the procedures adopted in the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh and in the Telangana state in the conduct of the Panchayat elections, cases filed in the Supreme Court on BC reservations in the local body elections by various states, judgments and consequences.

In response, Revanth Reddy said that a timeline should be prepared for the implementation of reservations in panchayat elections. The officials have been asked to consult the experts in the Panchayat Raj Act including Jana Reddy and retired department officials to clear the doubts and Advocate General on legal matters.

Ordering a study on the implementation of reservations in the local body elections in other states, the Chief Minister said that he would call another meeting before the commencement of the Budget session of the Assembly and take a final decision on increasing the reservation based on the report prepared by the officials.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Hyderabad:

A 32-year-old man in Telangana’s Khammam district was arrested for allegedly killing his wife and two daughters and passing off their deaths as a road accident, the police said on Sunday.

The accused, a physiotherapist at a Hyderabad hospital, was having an affair with a nurse, the police said, adding that he resorted to the murders to continue his relationship with his colleague.

He had earlier had a quarrel with his wife over the matter, the police added.

On May 28, the accused took his wife and two children in a car in Raghunadhapalem mandal in the district and initially killed his 26-year-old wife with a high-dose anesthesia drug, according to the police.

Later, he allegedly smothered his four- and two-and-a-half-year-old daughters to death, a senior police official said.

As part of the man’s plan to make the murders look like a road accident, he lay his wife’s body on the rear seat of the car, put his children in the front, and rammed the vehicle into a tree, the police said.

However, based on the autopsy and technical evidence, the police arrested him and he confessed to the crime during the investigation, the senior police official said.

The accused has been charged with murder and causing the disappearance of evidence.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Hyderabad:

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has invited himself to the home of his Telangana counterpart Revanth Reddy at the latter’s home. Though the two leaders go back a long way, the optics of an NDA Chief Minister meeting his Congress counterpart has set political circles buzzing. Speculation is high on what projects the two states might collaborate on — a subject hinted at in Mr Naidu’s letter to the Telangana Chief Minister.

“It has been 10 years since bifurcation of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh. There have been multiple discussions concerning issues arising from the Reorganization Act. which hold significant implications for the welfare and advancement of our states. It is imperative that we address these issues amicably with utmost diligence and resolve. In light of this, I propose that we meet at your place on 6′ July. Saturday afternoon,” Mr Naidu wrote to Mr Reddy.

“I firmly believe that a face-to-face meeting will provide us with the opportunity to engage comprehensively on these critical issues and collaborate effectively towards achieving mutually beneficial solutions for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. I am confident that our deliberations will lead to productive outcomes,” the letter added.

The carving out of Telangana has landed the Andhra Pradesh — and its Chief Minister — in a tricky situation, especially now, when the 10-year time for sharing Hyderabad as a joint capital comes to an end.

Andhra Pradesh is yet to build a state capital. Mr Naidu’s Amaravati project has been at a standstill for the last five years after former Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy cut the supply lines.

More importantly, the wipeout of K Chandrasekhar Rao’s Bharat Rashtra Samithi in Telangana has provided an opening to Mr Naidu to expand his foothold in the neighbouring state. For the TDP chief, who has been fighting for a decade to expand in the new state carved out of Andhra Pradesh, this is too big an opportunity to pass up.

For Mr Reddy, it creates a situation that should not be comfortable politically. But the two leaders are too well acquainted. Before joining Congress, Mr Reddy was part of the Telugu Desam Party and a close aide of Mr Naidu.

In the 2015 note-for-vote scam, in which Revanth Reddy went to jail, he had acted as Mr Naidu’s emissary to a nominated member of assembly to ask him to vote in favour of the TDP. Mr Reddy was caught on camera offering Rs 50 lakh to a member.  

Mr Reddy, moreover, is acquiring a reputation of making friends across party lines. In his recent week-long visit to Delhi, Mr Reddy met a number of BJP leaders, including party chief JP Nadda. When his affable treatment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and calling him “Bada bhai (elder brother) during his visit to the state in March raised eyebrows, Mr Reddy explained it saying he needed to cultivate friendly relations with all to help his state grow.

Hyderabad:

A 26-year-old tribal woman from Telangana’s Nagarkurnool district was tortured in public for a week – she was beaten and chilli powder was rubbed into her eyes and genitals, which were reportedly also burnt – after a mob that confronted the mother of three over missing money turned violent.

Disturbing videos of the incident showed the woman – in a pink saree – squatting on the ground surrounded by screaming villagers; in one video she sits motionless even as those around her – particularly a second woman in an orange saree carrying a large stick – shout and screech at her.

The video then takes a horrific turn after one of the men suddenly turned violent; he grabbed the woman – sitting silently all the while – by the neck, forced her to the ground and stomped on her.

He is pushed away by others and the young woman gets up and tries to escape, only to be shoved back to the ground by a second man, who also seemed to try and tear off her saree.

Tempers then run amok as some people are hit with a wooden stick.

In another shocking video a second woman is pushed into the fray. She grabs the woman in the pink saree by her hair, wrestlers her to the ground and viciously kicks and slaps her repeatedly.

After several minutes of this she is pulled off her victim.

Young woman recounts how accused BandiVenkatesh had threatened her sister to put freshly ground chillies in her eyes & private parts & then how she was burnt repeatedly with cloth dipped in diesel, though she pleaded for mercy; Mother can’t stop her tears, husband stands helpless pic.twitter.com/XH9mTFkRP0

— Uma Sudhir (@umasudhir) June 22, 2024

Even more shocking, District Superintendent of Police, Gaikwad Vaibhav Raghunath, told NDTV these videos are from at least two days before the woman was assaulted and tortured for a second time.

The woman, who was initially admitted to at a state-run hospital in the district, was later shifted to the Nizam’ Institute of Medical Sciences in state capital Hyderabad for better treatment.

Four people – identified as Bandi Venkatesh and his wife, as well as the victim’s sister and husband, have been arrested in connection with the assault.

READ | 4 Arrested For Torturing Tribal Woman, 27, In Telangana: Cops

According to reports, the dispute was over money the woman borrowed from Bandi Venkatesh.

In return, she was to work on his farm. But the woman walked out after a few days after an argument with her sister. An enraged Venkatesh hunted her down and dragged her back to his field.

On Monday Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka met the young woman, who was admitted to a government hospital, and said the Congress government would cover all bills.

Mr Vikramarka also said the state government will provide the woman with a home – if she does not own one – education for her children, and land for her to farm. On Saturday Excise Minister Jupally Krishna Rao spoke to the woman and said she would be given Rs 2 lakh as financial assistance.

With input from agencies

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Hyderabad:

Four persons were arrested for allegedly torturing a 27-year-old Chenchu tribal woman for a week in Nagarkurnool district of Telangana after she did not turn up for work in an agricultural land, police said on Saturday.

The woman was assaulted by the four accused, including her sister and brother-in-law in Molachintalapally village of Kollapur mandal. She was rescued after some villagers took up the matter with the police on Wednesday.

The woman was admitted to a hospital and is undergoing treatment.

In her complaint, the woman said that she was beaten up with sticks and tortured for not turning up for work in the agricultural land owned by one of the accused, a senior police official said.

The victim also had a dispute with her sister over a family issue, they said.

The accused allegedly inflicted burns on her private parts and thighs besides putting chilly powder in her eyes and body, police said.

Four accused persons were arrested on Friday and remanded to judicial custody.

Based on the complaint, a case on charge of sexual assault, attempt to murder, relevant IPC sections and under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, was registered, police said.

State Excise Minister Jupally Krishna Rao on Saturday called on the woman at the hospital and consoled her.

Rao said that the culprits would not be spared.

Announcing Rs two lakh financial assistance, the minister also assured that the government would take care of the education of her children.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Karimnagar:

The Telangana Road Transport Corporation (RTC) employees at the Karimnagar bus station facilitated the delivery of a woman who developed labour pains while waiting for a bus.

The 35-year-old woman, a labourer from Odisha, developed labour pains at the bus station when she was waiting for a bus on Sunday along with her husband.

After being informed by her husband, a place was arranged for her delivery in the bus station itself, Karimnagar bus depot manager Rajani Krishna told PTI on Monday.

Female supervisors and sweepers put up sarees around the woman and she had a normal delivery. She gave birth to a girl, he said.

Later, the mother and child were shifted to a government hospital in Karimnagar.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy appreciated the female RTC personnel of Karimnagar bus station for their timely help to the woman.

In a post on X, he wished that the women staffers should also earn a good name in discharging their duties.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Hyderabad:

Thirteen people were arrested a day after members of two communities clashed in Medak town of Telangana over alleged transportation of cows for slaughter ahead of Bakrid festival. The situation has been brought under control and remains peaceful, police said on Sunday.

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC was clamped by authorities after clashes broke out in the town on Saturday night. Stones were pelted and public property was damaged following which police resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the rioters.

Some shops and business establishments were vandalised and a hospital was also attacked where some injured people were undergoing treatment, they said.

At least seven people belonging to both the communities were injured during the clashes, police said adding additional personnel were deployed and the situation was brought under control in the town. Cases were booked in connection with the clashes and as many as 13 people from both the communities were so far arrested and more arrests will be made, a senior police official supervising the law and order situation told PTI.

He said prohibitory orders under section 144 of of CrPC (banning assembly of more than five people was ordered to control the situation), were ordered to prevent untoward incidents since last night. A peace committee meeting was held, he said.

According to police, trouble began when a group of cow vigilantes claimed that cattle were transported to a Madrassa in Medak. When the police arrived at the spot they found the cattle, including oxen, “unfit” for slaughter and moved them to a animal shelter.

Later, the police dispersed the members of the group from the spot.

Subsequently, the group reached the outskirts of Medak after being tipped about alleged transportation of cows which led to a physical altercation between them and members of another community.

The members of the group later held a protest near a police station in Medak.

Reacting to the incident, BRS Working President K T Rama Rao in a post on ‘X’ said: “Telangana was peaceful sans any communal violence for the last 9.5 years with KCR Garu at the helm of affairs. And now in the Congress Government, neither is there any Law nor any Order. Truly shameful that even a peaceful town Medak which never had any communal activity in the past has now become a mess”.

Telangana BJP MLA T Raja Singh in a post on ‘X’ said : “When Gau Rakshaks, @BJP4Telangana Karyakartas stopped anti-social elements from transporting cows for slaughter in Medak, they were attacked with knives. Visited the injured at the hospital, inquired about their condition, and asked the police to take immediate action against the attackers”.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Hyderabad:

In an explosive revelation in the Telangana phone tapping and snooping row, ex-Deputy Commissioner of Police P Radhakrishna Rao has claimed devices belonging to media industry bigwigs, retired cops, and politicians (including from then-ruling BRS) were hacked and monitored.

This was allegedly part of a well-funded and secretive team set up before the November state election to keep tabs on then Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s political rivals. The snooping operation was supposed to create a dossier to manage possible threats; in a twist, Mr Rao’s BRS was thumped by the Congress anyway, winning only 39 (down from 88 in 2018) of the state’s 119 seats.

Arrested on March 29 from his home in Hyderabad’s Banjara Hills, Mr Rao has reportedly admitted to former colleagues that he was part of this alleged illegal enterprise, which may have snooped on a prominent people, including media personalities Narendra Choudary of NTV and Vemuri Radhakrishna of ABN, retired police officer RS Praveen Kumar, sitting Warangal MP Kadiyam Srihari, and former BRS minister Patnam Mahender Reddy and his wife, Sunita Reddy. Patnam Mahender Reddy has now shifted to the Congress and was the party’s candidate for the Malkajgiri seat in the 2024 election.

Opposition party leaders – such as the Congress’ Saritha Thirupathaiah, who contested and lost the Gadwal Assembly seat last year to the BRS’ BK Mohan Reddy – were reportedly also targeted.

Radhakrishna Rao reportedly also claimed T Prabhakar Rao, then chief of the Special Intelligence Bureau, was in charge of the op, which gathered data on anyone who seemed to be a threat to the then-ruling BRS. Once an individual was flagged, the Intelligence Bureau’s deputy chief, Praneeth Kumar, was reportedly tasked with creating profiles to manage possible ‘threats’ to the BRS’ hold on power.

The alleged snooping did not only target political leaders or public figures. Mr Rao said businesspersons in the real estate and construction industries were also tracked to establish their affiliations.

As rumours of the snooping spread, bureaucrats, members of judiciary, and political figures avoided direct phone calls and, instead, used encrypted messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal.

READ | Ex-Intel Bureau Chief Is Accused No 1 In Phone-Tapping Row

In response, Prabhakar Rao and his group allegedly tracked communications over internet calls by acquiring and examining Internet Protocol Data Records (IPDRs). This has now triggered fresh moral and legal concerns over the use of public resources and technology for personal or political gain.

One particularly unsettling aspect concerned iNews journalist Sravan Kumar.

According to Mr Rao, Mr Kumar spoke directly T Prabhakar Rao during the state election in October and November last year; this meeting is said to have been at the request of the T Harish Rao, a BRS leader who was then a member of the cabinet and is nephew of ex-Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.

Information about opposition leaders and their financial backers was reportedly sent to the Intelligence Bureau via Mr Kumar, and this was used to target rivals during cash seizure ops. Mr Kumar reportedly also helped Praneeth Kumar wage trolling campaigns against the BRS’ detractors.

Radhakrishna Rao made other startling claims in April.

READ | Senior Cop Arrested In Telangana Phone Tap Row Makes Big Claim

He alleged cash had been moved in official vehicles in the 2018 and 2023 Assembly polls, and gave the Munugode by-poll as an example. He claimed Rs 3.5 crore had been confiscated from people linked to Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy, who contested the by-poll on a BJP ticket. He lost to the BRS’ KP Reddy but then jumped to the Congress for the 2023 election and won the seat.

The Telangana phone-tapping case involves the alleged gathering of electronic data not just for political intelligence, but to blackmail leaders, and even private companies and Tollywood celebrities.

Congress leader N Uttam Kumar Reddy told NDTV all this happened with the knowledge of the leadership of the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government. “It is only a matter of time before they (BRS) leaders come under the ambit of the investigation,” Mr Reddy said.

READ | Those Involved In Phone-Tapping Will Be Jailed, Warns Revanth Reddy

Several other Telangana police officers are being investigated in connection with this case.

The list of individuals whose devices were reportedly monitored include Congress leader and current Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. As many as one lakh phone calls were reportedly tapped.

Hubballi:

Just weeks after college student Neha Hiremath was stabbed to death by her former classmate, a 21-year-old woman was murdered inside her house by an acquaintance here for allegedly rejecting her love proposal on Wednesday.

Vishwa alias Girish Sawant, 23, knocked on the door of Anjali Ambigera’s residence at Veerapur Oni area at around 5.45 am.

When she opened the door, Girish stabbed her to death with a knife and fled the place, a senior police officer said, adding that her sister was a witness to the brutal murder.

A case of murder under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code has been registered against the accused, police said, adding that teams have been formed to arrest him.

Neha Hiremath, 23, was stabbed to death by her former classmate Fayaz Khodunaik inside her college campus in Hubballi on April 18.

“Girish was harassing my sister Anjali for sometime now. He expressed his love to her but my sister declined. He even pressured my sister to go with him to Mysuru. He had also threatened her that she will meet the same fate as that of Neha Hiremath,” Anjali’s sister Yashodha told reporters here.

“When we informed police about his threats, they didn’t pursue it seriously and today see, my sister is dead,” she said.

Anjali’s family and local residents staged a protest here demanding strict action against the accused. Later, the police reached the spot and dispersed them, assuring them that justice will be delivered.

Anjali’s father Mohan said that around seven months ago she had told them that Girish was harassing her.

“I had warned him (Girish). But today morning, unfortunately my daughter was murdered by this same person. The accused has to be punished,” he said.

No girl should be in the situation that Anjali has been in, her family said, and demanded strict action against the accused who is still at large.

Meanwhile, Congress Councillor Niranjan Hiremath — father of Neha — met the victim’s family and slammed the state government over the “deteriorating” law and order situation in north Karnataka and also sought suspension of Police Commissioner of Hubballi-Dharwad Renuka Sukumar for alleged “failure.” Talking about the brutal murder of Anjali, he said that despite the accused openly threatening the victim that she would meet the same fate as that of Neha, the police did not take the issue seriously when the woman’s family approached them to complaint.

“In less than a month of my daughter’s murder, another brutal and unfortunate murder happened this morning. I have been repeatedly urging the state government and the Home Minister (G Parameshwara) to bring an appropriate law (for such incidents). The police have failed to catch the culprit in Anjali’s case. He openly threatened her with Neha’s incident and yet the police did not take any preventive measure,” he told PTI Videos

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Hyderabad:

Single screen cinema theatre owners in Telangana have decided to temporarily stop film screenings in view of losses due to absence of patronage.

The total number of single screen theatres in Telangana is approximately 450.

State film exhibitors association president Vijayender Reddy said the single screen theatre owners individually took the decision to stop screening from this week.

He said expenditure per day for them is to the tune of Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000 in small towns and between Rs 15,000 and Rs 18,000 in Hyderabad. However, the revenue per day, especially in the case of small cinemas, is not even Rs 4,000, he said.

The loss is about Rs 4,000 per day if the theatre is closed, while it would go up to about Rs 6,000 if a film is screened, he said.

The decision to halt the screenings would be in force for at least two weeks. The screenings have already been stopped in some theatres in the state, he said.

Reddy, however, said the theatre owners would be ready to screen films if any producers come forward and make an upfront payment as a business transaction. In such a scenario, the screening would continue if there is patronage.

There are no major films scheduled for release till June 15

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)