In a midnight operation, Telangana Police arrested state BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar in Karimnagar town amid high drama when he was at his grandmother's house around 12.45 am.
A team of police officials reached there and asked Sanjay to come with them to the station. Sanjay, who is also an MP, wanted to know the case in which he was being arrested.
Assistant Commissioner of Police T. Srinivasa Rao told him that he would come to know about this at the station. The official argued that they have the power to arrest him, following which a heated argument ensued between the BJP leader and the police.
Sanjay and his supporters, who had gathered there, tried to resist the arrest. Police personnel lifted Sanjay and whisked him away in a police vehicle. Initially, there was no clarity where he was being taken. Later, the BJP leader was shifted to Bommalaramaram police station.
There was still no clarity on why Sanjay was arrested, but two versions are doing the rounds.
Sanjay had made certain allegations in the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) exam paper leak case and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had twice issued him notices, directing him to appear before it and provide evidence in support of his allegations.
The state BJP chief, however, did not appear before the SIT and instead deputed his legal team.
According to the second version, Sanjay was arrested in 10th class paper leak case. A man arrested in Warangal for leaking Hindi paper on Tuesday had allegedly shared the same with Sanjay.
Minutes after the exam began, the accused leaked the paper from an exam centre and shared it on WhatsApp with Sanjay and others. According to the police, the accused is a BJP worker and has close links with party leaders.
BJP condemns arrest
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has condemned the arrest of its Telangana unit president Bandi Sanjay Kumar late on Tuesday night. Terming the midnight arrest of Sanjay from his relative's house as illegal, the BJP leaders alleged that fear has gripped Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government in the state.
BJP's national general secretary B.L. Santosh tweeted that the BRS government has touched raw nerve by arresting BJP state president and MP Bandi Sanjay. "This will be the last nail on their political existence," he wrote.
BJP general secretary in-charge of Telangana, Tarun Chug, has said, "The blatant misuse of police machinery to intimidate opposition leaders in the state is the pattern followed by the Telangana government."
Though police were tightlipped about the charges, he is believed to have been arrested in question paper leak of Class 10 exam. Sanjay, who is also a MP from Karimnagar, is likely to be produced before a magistrate later in the day.
(With inputs from IANS)
