HYDERABAD: A BJP corporator was stabbed allegedly with a beer bottle following a heated argument over flag hoisting on the occasion of the Independence Day celebrations by Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) activists in the early hours of Sunday.
BJP corporator from Malkajgiri division, 44-year-old Vurapalli Sravan Kumar, was attacked with the bottle, leading to bleeding injuries on his eyes, shoulders, legs and backside of the body.
According to eyewitnesses, the trouble started when Sravan Kumar, accompanied by two other female BJP corporators and 10 party workers, came to attend the Independence Day event at around 8 am. TRS Malkajgiri MLA Mynampally Hanumanth Rao, who was the chief guest at the programme, allegedly started abusing Sravan Kumar when the latter entered the GHMC office premises.
Instigated by the provocative speech of the MLA, a group of around 50 TRS activists started attacking the BJP corporators and their followers. During the melee, one of the MLA’s supporters attacked Sravan Kumar with a beer bottle which he brought in his car. Sravan Kumar sustained injuries to his leg, said an eyewitness Sarvesh Yadav, adding that two female corporators and some BJP workers also received injuries in the attack.
Sravan Kumar came out of the GHMC premises and reached Malkajgiri Chowrasta and started protesting against Malkajgiri MLA, he said. After hosting the flag, Hanumantha Rao reached the spot and again attacked Sravan Kumar. However, the police reached the spot and shifted injured Sravan Kumar to a nearby private hospital.
Meanwhile, a TRS corporator, on condition of anonymity, said, "Sravan Kumar who came to attend the flag hoisting event started badmouthing Hanumantha Rao. He tried to hoist the flag due to which there was an argument between the BJP and the TRS activists. Meanwhile, Hanumanth Rao reached there and a fight broke out between the two groups. This resulted in Sravan Kumar sustaining injuries."
The Malkajgiri police booked a case against Hanumanth Rao's followers in connection with the attack on Sravan Kumar on Sunday. Based on a complaint from the TRS members, they also booked a case against Sravan Kumar and his associates.
Sravan Kumar alleged that during the tussle, TRS members outraged the modesty of female corporators by pulling their sarees by pushing them.
