Hyderabad: Revanth in jail for flying drone to take photos of KT Rama Rao's farm

HYDERABAD: In a new twist to the ongoing feud between Congress leader A Revanth Reddy and IT minister KT Rama Rao, the Malkajgiri MP was arrested on Thursday for his alleged role in using a drone to capture images of a farmhouse leased by TRS working president’s family. He was remanded in judicial custody till March 18. Later in the evening he was sent to Cherlapalli jail.
A day earlier, six persons were arrested for using the drone to photograph the farmhouse of KTR’s family at Janwada in neighbouring Rangareddy district. Revanth was named prime accused in the case booked under Sections 184(Driving dangerously), 187 ( Omission to assist public servant when bound by law to give assistance) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 11A R/W 5A of the Aircraft Act.
There was high drama on Thursday afternoon when Revanth went straight to Narsingi police station from Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA). Interestingly, when Cyberabad police sent a notice to Revanth’s Jubilee Hills residence on Wednesday to appear before police, he reportedly refused to accept it. On Thursday, he walked into the police station with his followers.
He went into the chamber of Narsingi station house officer (SHO) and argued with inspector Gangadhar about how a case could be registered against him and his associates for using a drone to capture images of the farmhouse.
Narsingi police, who had already declared Revanth as the prime accused, decided to arrest him when he was at the police station. Since Revanth’s sympathisers, family and NSUI activists had gathered at the police station, they decided to lock the gate to deny them entry. His followers were constantly raising slogans against police and TRS government. Mulugu MLA D Anasuya (Seethakka) also landed at the police station and spoke to him from across the gate.
Late on Thursday evening, police formally declared Revanth’s arrest. The MP was shifted into a police vehicle and taken to a government hospital at Golconda for medical examination. Subsequently, he was taken to the residence of a magistrate at Nalanda Nagar in Rajendranagar. The magistrate sent Revanth to judicial custody till March 18. The Congress MP did not move any bail application before the magistrate. He was later taken to the Cherlapalli jail.
On Monday, Revanth and other Congress leaders tried to gatecrash into the farmhouse at Janwada. However, police thwarted his bid. Alleging that KTR had purchased the 25 acre land by threatening owners and built structures violating GO111, he released aerial photographs of the property, including a palatial house with a swimming pool, to the media.
Prior to that, a controversy had erupted over the ownership of a parcel of land involving Revanth and his family members in Gopannapally.