KTR recalls fearing for life during protest arrests

Hyderabad: The BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Wednesday remembered an interesting incident where he feared for his life during the arrests of party chief K Chandrashekar Rao and other leaders after the ‘Deeksha’ was foiled by the police.

Narrating the incident, Rama Rao said that he was arrested and jailed for the first time in his life on November 30. While under custody, he and other protesters jumped off the vehicle and landed at the residence of Professor Jayashankar. By the evening, the police came to the residence of Jayashankar, who suggested Rama Rao be arrested.

The local police were kind enough to shift Rama Rao to a small hospital, where he stayed overnight. In the morning, the police personnel asked whether he wanted to shave, and when Rao replied yes, a barber was called. While the barber was shaving, Rama Rao asked where he was from. The barber replied that he was from Pulivendula at the time when the razer was on Rao’s throat. Rama Rao said that he felt that on that day, it was the wrong question at the wrong time. However, Rama Rao revealed that the person said that they were mourning the death of the then Chief Minister, YS Rajasekhara Reddy, and the agitation was a justifiable demand. “This was an incident that I cannot forget in my life,” said Rao.

Rama Rao also recalled another incident that he would not forget. He said that while KCR was on hunger strike, police personnel released a video showing that the party chief had ended his fast and drank juice. He was shifted to the hospital and was under treatment, but at the same time, there was high tension in Telangana. KCR wanted to talk to the media, but the police personnel denied permission, stating that, being in jail, he cannot talk to the media. KCR broke the window glass and took a piece of glass and threatened to kill himself, and the leaders adjacent to him, Naini Narasimha Reddy and Lakshmikantha Rao, were raising slogans of ‘Jai Telangana’. “This was the time I felt tense about what would happen,” said Rao.

The BRS leader recalled the political developments during the Deeksha time when the senior leaders in Congress and the BJP interacted with him. The BRS leaders told the Congress leaders that they should release a statement saying ‘the process for the formation of Telangana begins’. They were strictly against forming a committee, recalled Rao. He also said that the police personnel terrorised him, stating that KCR would go into a coma if he continued his fast.