Hyderabad, May 4 (IANS) Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President K.T. Rama Rao on Monday visited party leader Manne Krishank at Sangareddy Jail, where he is lodged in a case relating to alleged assault on a Congress party worker.

Several senior leaders of the BRS accompanied Rama Rao during this visit.

Krishank and seven of his associates were arrested on April 24 in Hyderabad for allegedly assaulting a Congress worker over a social media post.

KTR, however, termed his arrest illegal. He claimed that as a student leader of Osmania University and former Chairman of the Telangana State Mineral Development Corporation, Krishank has been continuously fighting for public issues.

It is despicable that, for questioning government corruption and maladministration, over 35 false cases have been filed against him to harass him. The Revanth Reddy government, indulging in vindictive politics, is trying to throttle the voice of democracy, KTR told media persons.

The BRS leader accused the Congress government of pursuing vindictive politics and filing fabricated cases against them. “Manne Krishank is an educated young man, a lawyer, and a PhD holder. Having stood at the forefront of the student movement at Osmania University, he served as the Chairman of the Telangana State Mineral Development Corporation following the formation of the Telangana state,” he said.

KTR alleged that a series of cases are being registered against Krishank solely because he has been questioning the government’s corruption and irregularities — and bringing these issues to the public’s attention — over the past two and a half years. “It is atrocious that, in cases where the potential punishment is less than four years—situations where station bail should typically be granted—he has been kept in jail for 12 days and is being portrayed as a ‘habitual offender’,” he remarked.

He stated that cases were filed against the BRS leaders for various reasons—notably, for raising the issue of harassment against ‘Miss England’ on social media; for exposing the affairs of the Chief Minister’s family members and their proxy companies; for bringing to light corruption in the allocation of government contracts; and for questioning injustices occurring at the rural level.

The BRS leader criticised the government, stating that instead of focusing on the rising crime rate within the state, it remains preoccupied with filing cases over social media posts. “Even when shootings occur in broad daylight in Karimnagar, the government fails to respond. Yet, it remains hyper-vigilant regarding who posts what on social media,” he remarked.

–IANS

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