High Drama At Telangana Minister's Residence As Police Try To Take Aide Into Custody

Hyderabad: High drama unfolded at the residence of Telangana Forest and Endowments Minister Konda Surekha here when police arrived to take custody of the minister's Officer on Special Duty (OSD) N Sumanth, who was recently terminated over alleged irregularities.

Based on information that Sumanth was present at the minister's residence, Task Force personnel (a wing of police) reached there on October 15 night to pick him up as part of an inquiry, police sources said on Thursday, declining to elaborate further over the matter.

However, Surekha’s daughter, Konda Sushmitha, "confronted and questioned" the police move to take Sumanth into custody. She objected to police in plainclothes at their home and demanded them produce the warrant. A video of the incident went viral on social media.

Subsequently, the minister and Sumanth left the house in a car. Later speaking to reporters, Sushmitha alleged that her family was being targeted by "Reddy leaders" as they were from a Backward Class community.

"We came to know on Wednesday that Sumanth was removed as an OSD. Allegations were levelled against him of threatening a representative of a cement company with a weapon to extort money. It is a conspiracy to get a statement from Sumanth that he threatened the representative on the instance of my father Konda Murali and to implicate my father," she alleged.

The government recently terminated the services of Sumanth, who was initially appointed as an OSD in the Telangana Pollution Control Board over allegations of misconduct and corruption. He was subsequently deputed to the office of the forest minister.

Meanwhile, the opposition BRS hoped that the Telangana Police would take cognizance of the drama that unfolded at Konda Surekha’s residence and initiates the necessary action.

BRS in a post on 'X' said: "It is alarming that despite the brazen revelations made by the daughter of Minister Konda Surekha, no firm action has been taken so far against those involved in the criminal acts." Cases should be immediately booked against Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and others over the episode, the BRS demanded.

Telangana BJP president N Ramachander Rao said serious allegations have emerged and "names of other ministers and close aides of the CM have also surfaced in this episode". Rao alleged that the Congress is synonymous with corruption.

"Wherever the Congress ruled, corruption thrived. Now, in Telangana too, the Congress government is mired in settlements, intimidation, and corruption. Congress leaders must explain their assets, benami holdings, and illegal earnings," he said, according to a release issued by the BJP state office

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