BRS women MLAs file complaint with NHRC, NCW over ill treatment by police

A delegation of women lawmakers from Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) on Friday lodged a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the National Commission for Women (NCW), alleging that they were subjected to “indecent” and “humiliating” treatment by police personnel at the Telangana assembly entrance on September 7.

Senior BRS MLA and former minister Sabitha Indra Reddy, who was among those who met NHRC member Sayani Vijaya Bharathi in New Delhi, alleged that women legislators were manhandled and some of them were dragged by their hair while they were attempting to enter the assembly premises.

Speaking to reporters after submitting the complaint, Sabitha said the incident had caused “great pain and humiliation” to the women legislators. The police highhandedness was part of a “conspiracy” to prevent the BRS MLAs from entering the assembly, she said.

Recalling the incident at the assembly gates, Sabitha alleged that the situation was unprecedented and compared it to a “Kaurava Sabha,” referring to the episode in the Mahabharata associated with the humiliation of Draupadi.

She alleged that women MLAs were pulled by their hair while male legislators were pushed to the ground and trampled upon during the confrontation with police. She said former minister and MLA G Jagadish Reddy had fallen during the melee involving police personnel and had suffered a rise in his blood pressure.

“We have been in politics for nearly 30 years. Why were we not allowed inside the assembly? When we specifically requested that at least the women MLAs be permitted to enter, the police did not listen to us,” she said.

She questioned the authority under which the legislators were stopped from entering the assembly and demanded to know who had issued the instructions to the police. According to her, neither the government nor the assembly authorities had provided an explanation.

Sabitha said the BRS legislators had been demanding action against those responsible for the alleged assault for the past three days but had received no response. She also claimed that a complaint had been lodged at the director general of police’s office regarding the alleged attack on women MLAs, but no action had followed.

Sabitha further alleged that the action against the BRS legislators was carried out at the direction of chief minister A Revanth Reddy. She said the BRS had expected the alleged assault to be discussed during the assembly session and that the chief minister, the minister for legislative affairs and the DGP would respond to the incident. “However, nobody spoke about it,” she alleged.

Sabitha accused the authorities of filing cases against the BRS legislators despite the alleged assault on them. She also claimed that complaints were lodged accusing some legislators of sexual harassment and that allegations were made over remarks concerning the Speaker.

She further alleged that people were sent to former chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s residence to perform a “death drum” ritual, and claimed that these developments too had taken place under the chief minister’s direction.

Sabitha alleged that no FIR had been registered over the alleged attacks on women legislators and that the BRS members were not even given an opportunity to raise the issue in the Assembly.

“We did not get justice in the Assembly. That is why we came to Delhi. This is a matter for the chief minister to be ashamed of,” she said.