Hyderabad, June 06: Minister for Health and Family Welfare Danam Nagender was at it once again or so it appears. The minister, who has a rather long slapgate history, allegedly thrashed a builder for “illegally laying a drainage line” on Road No 12, Banjara Hills here on Saturday.
The victim, S Ram Reddy, promptly lodged a complaint with the Banjara Hills police who booked cases under IPC Sections 448 (trespass) and 506 (criminal intimidation) against Danam Nagender, corporator Bharathi and her husband Baba Naik. According to the complaint, Ram Reddy was at his house site near Kanaka Durga temple this morning when Danam Nagender, who was in the vicinity for the inauguration of a park, arrived and thundered: “Ikkada Ram Reddy yavadu? (Who is Ram Reddy here?).” When Ram Reddy responded, the minister allegedly started abusing. “When I tried to explain, Nagender countered saying that I was on the wrong side of the law,” the builder said in his complaint adding that Nagender lost his cool and hit him on the face and head.
However, Nagender denied manhandling the builder. “I was not even present at the place. I was at the KBR Park for a plantation programme,” he told Express. The minister further said he had no idea who the builder was. Local corporator Bharathi had informed him of Ram Reddy’s ‘illegal’ activities, Nagender explained adding that he had told her that he would look into the issue later on.
Ram Reddy told the police that pipeline work had been in progress for the last few days at his site where he was constructing a house. But Banjara Hills Congress corporator Bharathi’s husband Baba Naik had allegedly ordered the workers to stop the work. “My workers called off the work after Naik threatened them with dire consequences,”he alleged.
According to the complainant, Baba Naik came to his site twice this morning, once along with his wife and henchmen, and told him to stop the work. The corporator and her husband told Ram Reddy that the work was illegal as he had not obtained permission for the same. Within minutes after they had left, Nagender arrived on the scene with his gunmen and supporters and picked up an argument with Ram Reddy.
Earlier in the day, Bharathi too had lodged a complaint against Ram Reddy alleging that he was going ahead with his “illegal” work.
“I have all the documents to prove that laying of pipeline is legal. Besides I did not encroach upon even an inch of land,” Ram Reddy said.
—Agencies