Hyderabad: Several senior BRS leaders including T Harish Rao, P Sabitha Indra Reddy, Vemula Prashanth Reddy and Talasani Srinivas Yadav among others have been placed under house arrest on Friday, as tensions continue to escalate across the State. In the wake of the BRS call for its district-level executive body meeting at the residence of Serlingampally MLA Arekapudi Gandhi, the police beefed up security at his residence as well.

The police did not even allow Harish Rao to visit his doctor, despite him complaining of severe pain on his left shoulder which was injured during his arrest on Thursday. Further, former Minister V Sunitha Laxma Reddy and former MP Maloth Kavitha who went to meet Harish Rao and inquire about his health, were not allowed inside. Instead, they were arrested and shifted to the police station.

The BRS leaders who planned to come to Hyderabad, also were confined to their homes in Siddipet, Medak, Sangareddy, Mahbubnagar, Ranga Reddy, Medchal Malkajgiri, Suryapet, Adilabad, Karimnagar and other districts. A few party leaders were taken into preventive custody since Thursday midnight.

The verbal feud between BRS MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy and Serlingampally MLA Arekapudi Gandhi about the latter’s defection on Thursday, turned into a full-blown political conflict with Gandhi and his followers attacking Kaushik Reddy. Several senior BRS leaders staged protests at Cyberabad Police Commissionerate, demanding for stringent action against Gandhi and his supporters, apart from suspension of the police officials concerned for their failure to prevent the attack. After much high drama, the BRS leaders were arrested and taken to Keshampet police station, but were released around midnight after the BRS cadre arrived in large numbers.

Later around midnight, BRS Medchal Malkajgiri district president and MLC Shambipur Raju called on the party leaders to join a rally from his residence in Mallampeta to MLA Gandhi’s house in Kukatpally. BRS leaders, including Kaushik Reddy, planned to “congratualte” Gandhi with a BRS scarf, and congratulate him on being appointed as the chairman of Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

Meanwhile, Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender who also defected from the BRS to the ruling Congress, reached the residence of Arekapudi Gandhi, to extend his support. They are reportedly holding talks with eight other defected MLAs as well as the Congress leadership on the next step as the BRS continues to mount pressure.