Hyderabad, July 04: Amid high drama, the police on Saturday arrested Telangana Rastha Samithi (TRS) MP from Medak Vijayashanti but within hours she was out on bail, of course after a brief stay in the Chanchalguda jail.
Congress MLA from Sangareddy T Jayaprakash Reddy too was arrested in connection with cases pertaining to violation of the model code of conduct and making inflammatory speeches as the Election Commission and the police started cracking the whip.
After making a vain effort to arrest the former actress yesterday, the city police arrested her in a filmi style today.
Vijayashanti, who had intially refused to seek bail, later changed her mind probably after experiencing the real life in the Chanchalguda women’s prison. The Medak MP’s bail petition was immediately accepted by the seconf additional chief metropolitan magistrate, Nampally Criminal Court.
For the record, though, the MP claimed that she agreed to release on bail on the directions of the party she said she would lodge a complaint with the prime minister and the Lok Sabha speaker over the shabby manner in which the police treated a member of Parliament.
Right from Saturday morning, Vijayashanti’s residence in MLA Colony in Banjara Hills was crowded with TRS activists and her fans. As the time went by, the anticipation of her arrest became firm with the reports that her arrest was imminent. The local police and sleuths of the task force kept a close watch on the happenings inside her house.
At around 11 am Vijayashati announced at a press conference that was she was heading to Siddipet where TRS candidate Harish Rao was scheduled to file his nomination today. She also challenged the police to “come and arrest” her while she was on her way to Siddipet. “Since morning I have been waiting for the police to arrest me but they have not turned up so far. Everyone knew the kind of ruckus police created in my house yesterday during my absence. I am going to Siddipet to accompany Harish Rao during the filing of his nomination. Besides, I am also supposed to participate in a padayatra at Dubbaka. Police can come and arrest me during my journey.”
At 11:35 am Vijayashanti left her residence in a white Safari, followed by her followers in a fleet of cars. After reaching the junction near the SultanulUloom College on Road No. 2 in Banjara Hills the city police, who had been waiting there, intercepted her vehicle and took her into custody. More than 25 policemen led by Asif Nagar assistant commissioner of police LT Chandrashekar stopped her convoy and asked the driver of her vehicle, to get down. The ACP got into the TRS leader’s vehicle and steered it himself to park it on the road margin.
Vijayashanti got off the vehicle and started protesting. Police then tried to shift her into a waiting Sumo as the vehicular traffic on the extremely busy road came to a halt for nearly 45 minutes. In spite of her protest and resistance by her followers police forcefully shifted her into the police vehicle and took her to the Nampally criminal court and produced her before the II additional chief metropolitan magistrate.
Police registered cases against her under 153 (A) (Promoting enmity between two groups), 505(2) (statement creating or promoting enmity between two classes of people) of IPC. Though Vijayashanti’s lawyer Ram Reddy moved a bail petition on her behalf, it was withdrawn at her request. “The magistrate directed the police to remand Vijayashanti in judicial custody till July 15,” Ram Reddy said. During the court proceedings, Vijayashanti complained to the magistrate that ACP LT Chandrashekar had behaved rudely with her and pulled her saree. The magistrate told her that her complaint would be recorded in the file noting. She also complained that the city police did not employ women police to shift her to the court.
While she was being taken to the jail TRS activists resisted the police action. But after landing in the Chanchalguda women’s prison, it seemed Vijayashanti realised the difference between reel and real life. She was appalled by the conditions inside the jail and thought that spending 14 days in the prison would be difficult for her.
The MP, who had been very particular till then about not seeking bail, changed her mind and applied for bail. Her request was granted and was released from the jail soon after.
–Agencies