YSRTP’s Sharmila arrested, later granted bail

The Hyderabad Police on Tuesday arrested YSR Telangana Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy’s sister Y.S. Sharmila, when she tried to lay siege to Pragati Bhavan, the official residence of chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. She was protesting against the attack on her convoy and caravan by the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi workers in Warangal on Monday.
Bizarre scenes were witnessed played on Hyderabad road when a crane brought in by the city police towed away the car of Sharmila while she still sat inside.
There was more drama at the police station where Sharmila was taken as she refused to come out of the car and a locksmith had to be brought in to open the door of the SUV.
Sharmila’s mother, YS Vijayalakshmi, has been put under house arrest as she tried to leave her house in Hyderabad to go meet her daughter.
Earlier during the day, accompanied by her
followers, Sharmila left for Pragati Bhavan driving her damaged car, followed by a partially-burnt caravan, when the police stopped her on the Raj Bhavan Road. The police asked her and her followers to go back, but she refused to get down of the vehicle.
She was shifted to Sanjeeva Reddy Nagar police station about two kilometres away.
Sharmila said she wanted to seek an explanation from the chief minister whether it was appropriate for his administration to attack whoever questioned his governance and exposed his failures. “How can the police stop my padayatra, for which I have taken prior permission, just because I criticise the government policies?” she asked.