Telangana: Former minister Gutta Mohan Reddy brandishes gun, held

HYDERABAD: Former minister Gutta Mohan Reddy (70) was arrested by Nalgonda police under the Arms Act for threatening canal construction workers with his licensed firearm in his native village of Urumadla in Chityal mandal. Police seized the revolver along with ammunition and produced the accused before a magistrate on Monday.
The accused was a minister in Nadendla Bhaskar Rao government in united Andhra Pradesh back in 1984. Mohan Reddy was elected to undivided Andhra Pradesh legislative assembly in 1978 and 1983 and served as an agriculture minister in Bhaskar Rao’s cabinet for a month. On Sunday evening, Mohan Reddy obstructed the contractor from taking up government canal digging work through his daughter’s agricultural fields in Urumadla. “Mohan Reddy wanted the contractors to alter the canal digging work plan so that the canal does not cut across his daughter’s fields,” Nalgonda district SP AV Ranganath said.
According to police, Mohan Reddy owned land in Urumadla, of which 820 square yards was taken away by the government for the canal. “The family members of Mohan Reddy had already received compensation for the land procured,” the SP said When the workers refused to accept his demand, Mohan Reddy got upset. He pulled out his licensed revolver and threatened the workers to stop the work immediately. The incident came to light after a video of the former minister brandishing revolver and threatening the workers went viral on social media.
“Based on a complaint lodged by the workers, we have registered a case against Mohan Reddy under sections 341, 504 and 506 of the IPC and section 30 of the Arms Act. We have seized the 0.32 revolver and 30 rounds of ammunition from the possession of Mohan Reddy,” Chityala CI Shankar Reddy said.