Former Kodangal MLA and senior Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader Patnam Narender Reddy was arrested at Baharpet crossroads in Pargi on Monday while he was travelling to Kosgi to attend the funeral of a party worker, according to a report by Telangana Today. Police said he was taken into custody as Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy was scheduled to visit the area.
The arrest led to protests by BRS workers, who surrounded the police vehicle and demanded Narender Reddy’s immediate release. Tension prevailed at the spot as the workers raised slogans against the government, the report said.
Narender Reddy questioned why he was being stopped from proceeding to the funeral. The report did not specify the legal provisions under which he was arrested or whether police issued any written order explaining the grounds for taking him into custody.
The BRS demanded his immediate and unconditional release. Party working president KT Rama Rao condemned the arrest and described it as an undemocratic act by the Congress government. He questioned the need to detain a leader who was travelling to console the bereaved family and attend the funeral.
Rama Rao also alleged that the government was using arrests and preventive detentions to silence Opposition leaders and intimidate BRS workers. He said the party would not be deterred by such measures and repeated the demand for Narender Reddy’s unconditional release.
BRS Legislature Party deputy leader and Maheshwaram MLA P Sabitha Indra Reddy also criticised the action. She said preventing a political leader from attending a party worker’s funeral and consoling the family was unjustified and contrary to democratic principles. She accused the Congress government of suppressing Opposition voices through arrests and restrictions.
The episode unfolded in Pargi and Kosgi as the Chief Minister’s scheduled visit brought heightened security and policing to the area. The report did not provide further details about the duration of Narender Reddy’s detention, any charges against him, or the next legal steps. The BRS’s demand for his release remained the immediate political response to the arrest.
