Telangana Jagruti president Kalvakuntla Kavitha was arrested by police on Tuesday after staging a protest in Narsingi, demanding action against alleged encroachments along the Musi river. She accused authorities of failing to act against large buildings constructed by influential individuals on the riverbank, while targeting houses of the poor under the HYDRA demolition drive. Kavitha, along with local residents and party leaders from Telangana Jagruti, staged a sit-in protest, insisting that bulldozers be deployed against what she termed illegal constructions by “big players.” Police later detained her and shifted her to the Narsingi Police Station.
Speaking to the media after her detention, Kavitha criticised the police action, alleging that force was used during her arrest. She termed the move unjust and accused the government of adopting a discriminatory approach by sparing large constructions in the Musi riverbed while demolishing homes belonging to economically weaker sections.
Kavitha further alleged that certain constructions were granted permissions during the previous BRS government and are now being continued under the Congress administration. She claimed that this reflected a pattern of successive governments siding with influential sections instead of protecting the interests of the poor. She also alleged that authorities were not taking action against violations within the designated river buffer zone.
Warning of intensified agitation, Kavitha said the government would have to pay a political price for demolishing houses of the poor in Hyderabad’s outskirts. She maintained that only if authorities take action against major constructions near the river — which she alleged were within five metres despite a 30-metre regulation — would the government prove it stands with the underprivileged. She added that Telangana Jagruti would pursue a legal battle against alleged illegal constructions along the Musi river.