Bandi Sanjay Kumar, the state president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Telangana, was arrested in a dramatic midnight operation on Tuesday in Karimnagar. The state BJP has called for protests at all district headquarters on Wednesday, with party workers and leaders burning effigies of Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and demanding Sanjay Kumar’s immediate release. The BJP has also filed a habeas corpus motion petition in the State High Court, as the police failed to provide any reason or warrant for the arrest. BJP chief JP Nadda and Union Minister for Culture and Tourism G Kishan Reddy have both inquired about the arrest, with Reddy asking the police not to act as “banded labour” for the Kalwakuntla family. Party national leader BL Santhosh has criticized the arrest on Twitter, while another BJP leader, Amit Malviya, has called the charges against Sanjay Kumar “fabricated.” National general secretary Tarun Chug has warned that the state government will pay a heavy price for the arrest.
