HYDERABAD: Tension ran high on Friday in Hyderabad for a brief while as hundreds of BJP workers and senior leaders were arrested during the ‘Save Hyderabad’ protest near the state secretariat. The BJP condemned the “undemocratic and illegal” police action, alleging the Congress-led government was using repression to hide civic failures. State president N. Ramchander Rao was among those detained; his convoy stopped at Moinabad after touring Chevalla. He and other leaders were shifted to the Moinabad police station. Those arrested included state general secretary Dr Kasam Venkateshwarlu, vice president N.V.S.S. Prabhakar, spokespersons N.V. Subhash and Bandaru Vijayalakshmi, Mahila Morcha president Dr Mekala Shilpa Reddy, Hyderabad Central district president Lankala Deepak Reddy, senior leader Dr N. Gautam Rao, and about 600 workers. The protest highlighted alleged civic neglect in Greater Hyderabad. BJP leaders accused the administration of failing to ensure drinking water, drainage, removal of hazardous wires and road and traffic improvements. They cited recent deaths in Ramanthapur and the Old City, blaming government apathy. Dr Kasam Venkateshwarlu alleged the government had shown a “total collapse in providing basic amenities,” adding, “The reckless attitude of the government has cost lives and hurt citizens.” Spokesperson N.V. Subhash termed the protest a direct response to the Chief Minister’s failure to address Hyderabad’s problems and accused the government of using arrests to stifle dissent. Dr Shilpa Reddy condemned the detentions, calling them a “conspiracy to silence genuine concerns.” She declared, “No matter how many arrests or house detentions, our fight for Hyderabad’s development will continue.” The BJP alleged police made arrests citywide in a pre-emptive move to disrupt a peaceful protest, calling it a violation of democratic principles. Leaders vowed to persist until Hyderabad’s civic issues are resolved
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