Ahead of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi’s (BRS) planned “Chalo Bus Bhavan” protest, Telangana police placed several senior party leaders, including working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) and former minister T Harish Rao, under house arrest. The party had announced the protest to demand an immediate reversal of the recent Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) bus fare hike. Heavy police deployment outside the homes of key BRS leaders effectively prevented them from participating in the demonstration, which was to culminate at the Bus Bhavan headquarters in Hyderabad, where they planned to submit a formal memorandum to the TSRTC Managing Director.
As tensions mounted, dramatic scenes unfolded near Bus Bhavan, where police detained several party workers attempting to gather despite restrictions. KTR took to social media to criticize the government’s handling of the situation, posting on X (formerly Twitter): “All I wanted to do was board an RTC bus peacefully, travel to the RTC MD office, and submit a letter demanding rollback of the steep hike in bus fares. Look at the number of police officers deployed right now outside my housing complex!” He added that if the same level of police attention were applied to tackling crime in Hyderabad, it would better serve the public.
BRS leaders accused the Congress government of using excessive police force to stifle a peaceful protest. Harish Rao, too, was reportedly confined to his residence under similar security measures. The party condemned the house arrests, calling them an attempt to silence democratic dissent.
In remarks to India Today, KTR reaffirmed his party’s determination to continue protesting the fare hike. “No matter how many restrictions or detentions they impose, our fight against the fare hike will continue until it is withdrawn. Such police detentions are nothing new to us or our party,” he said.
The developments mark another flashpoint between the ruling Congress and the opposition BRS, with the latter accusing the government of suppressing legitimate political activity. The episode also underscores growing public discontent over the increase in RTC fares, an issue the BRS is now leveraging to mobilize support and challenge the state government’s economic policies.
