Congress MLA Malreddy Ranga Reddy during his RTC bus visit from Ibrahimpatnam to Yamjal amid allegations over his interaction with a teenage girl. (DC Image)


Hyderabad: Congress MLA from Ibrahimpatnam Malreddy Ranga Reddy on Wednesday came under fire after a video allegedly showing him inappropriately touching a teenage girl student on a bus on the pretext of inquiring over the free bus scheme introduced by the state government went viral on social media.

The incident took place on Tuesday when the MLA travelled on an RTC bus from Ibrahimpatnam to Yamjal.

He was making inquiries on how much the girl students could save in the last three years due to Mahalakshmi, a freebie allowing ticketless travel by all the women across the state.

The MLA initially held the girl student by her elbow and tried to pull her near to him.

She held the seat to avoid falling on him and then pushed herself away.

Despite the girl visibly feeling uncomfortable, he held her forearm and continued his conversation with another student.

Though the MLA did not take calls for a response, he posted a video on social media later offering an explanation.

While interacting with a cross-section of passengers, the MLA said a few girl students came to his seat from behind and made a request to increase the bus frequency.

They were satisfied with the free bus scheme which they said saved at least Rs 45,000 to their parents annually.

The MLA then blamed it on the curve in the road, which caused the bus to turn slightly and led his hand to move behind the girl.

“If you see I was holding her hand in a very respectful manner.

What is wrong if I hold hands and talk to a girl who is like my daughter.

It is a gesture to express affection,” he said and accused some vested interests of carrying out a smear campaign against him.

“It is a clear case of outraging modesty,” said Dr K. Bharati, an advocate.

Even if the girl, apparently out of fear, did not file a case, the police should suo moto take cognisance and book a case against the MLA, she said, adding that even the Pocso should be invoked if the girl is a minor.

The State Women Commission, headed by a Congress nominee Nerella Sarada, initially tried to take shelter under lack of knowledge of the incident.

“I did not see any such video,” Sarada told this correspondent when asked about the action to be initiated by the commission.

She later did not take calls though the video was shared with her.

There was a severe backlash against the MLA on the social media with some questioning the alleged inappropriate act by septuagenarian peoples representative.

Taking the X as a platform, Swathi Bellam, a citizen, said, “I would have slapped him, a creepy pervert, who touches women like that.

Imagine he is like this in public, in private, what he might be doing.”

Another social media user M. Abdul Kaleem said he was shocked to see such behaviour of the MLA.

“It's clearly taking advantage of authority and harassing innocent girls.

The blind home department will overlook it anyway.”

Another user Aryan asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to take action against the MLA by sacking him from the party.

BRS leader R.S. Praveen Kumar accused the government of shielding the MLA.

“Police should at least make a General Dairy entry and send the MLA to Bharosa Centre for counseling,” he pointed out.

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