Hyderabad:
The Hyderabad police arrested Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Bandi Sanjay Kumar, on Saturday while he was leading a march towards the State Secretariat. He was on his way to meet Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to demand the immediate withdrawal of Government Order (GO) No. 29.
Tension built up in Ashok Nagar as Bandi Sanjay arrived to meet unemployed Group-I job aspirants who were protesting against GO No. 29. The protesters argued that the order was harmful to candidates from reserved categories.
Earlier in the day, Bandi Sanjay had met with Group-I aspirants at the BJP state headquarters in Nampally. Afterward, he joined the protest at Ashok Nagar, condemning the police for using force against the candidates who had been peacefully protesting for the past three days. The protesters claim that GO No. 29 obstructs reservations for SC, ST, and BC communities. The minister also accused the Congress government of using oppressive tactics against the protesters and sat down on the road to join them.
As news of Bandi Sanjay’s presence spread, more unemployed people and Group-I aspirants gathered in large numbers to support him. They chanted slogans like “Down Down CM” and “Repeal G.O. 29.” The protesters also called for the rescheduling of the Group-I exams, demanding justice.
Leaders from the BJP’s youth and women’s wings, along with party workers, also arrived at the protest site to show their support. The police struggled to manage the growing crowd and set up barricades near hostels to prevent more people from joining. Despite these efforts, many managed to gather at Ashok Nagar, increasing the tension between the protesters and the police.
Several protesters, who claimed they had been wrongfully detained and beaten by the police, submitted petitions to Bandi Sanjay, asking him to stand with them until GO No. 29 was repealed. They also spoke about past injustices under both the previous BRS government and the current Congress administration.
Despite requests from senior police officers asking Bandi Sanjay to leave, the minister refused, stating that he would not move until the Group-I candidates received justice. The protest continued in a tense environment, with Bandi Sanjay sitting on the road alongside the unemployed youth.
Later, Bandi Sanjay decided to march to the State Secretariat to meet CM Revanth Reddy and explain the concerns of the Group-I aspirants, while demanding the scrapping of GO No. 29. However, as the minister and the growing crowd of protesters moved towards the Secretariat, the police intervened and took him into custody to prevent him from reaching his destination.
