Hyderabad: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kompella Madhavi Latha on Tuesday, July 29, was placed under house arrest in Hyderabad ahead of her visit to the Pedamma Thalli Temple in Banjara Hills.
The police officials allegedly barred her from offering prayers at the temple. In a post on X, Latha said, “The Telangana government has placed me under house arrest. Is it a crime to express devotion during a festival?”
She claimed that the police apprehended her from offering Bonam, a traditional meal consisting of cooked rice, milk, and jaggery, typically in an earthen pot adorned with neem leaves, turmeric, and vermillion, as a way to express gratitude and seek blessings from the Goddess Mahakali.
In a video shared on X, the BJP leader said, “I was going to offer Bonam at the Pedamma Thalli Temple. However, the police have been deployed at my house for the past two hours. When I asked them why the police are here, they cited law and order issues.”
“What law and order are you talking about? Did any of the BJP members attack Congress workers or vandalise any office? Today is Bonalu, and we are being placed under house arrest even today,” Latha said.
She claimed that the police had no orders or documents and that the police officials didn’t know where the order came from. “They are neither letting me attend a meeting at the party office nor letting me go to the hospital,” the BJP leader remarked.
“Till when will you continue the injustice?” she questioned the Telangana government. She then questioned the Hyderabad commissioner of police, CV Anand, as to why she had been placed under house arrest without proper documents.
On July 26, the BJP leader called for a larger protest against the alleged demolition of the Peddamma Talli temple at MLA Colony in Banjara Hills.
In a video she released on her official X account on Saturday, July 26, the Hyderabad MP contestant shared a Google Maps location, urging people of the Hindu community to take to the streets. She condemned the demolition, calling it an “attack on Sanatan Dharma.”
Madhavi Latha detained
Madhavi Latha, alongside other BJP leaders, held a protest in MLA Colony, Road No 12, Banjara Hills, on July 24 over the alleged demolition of the centuries-old Peddamma Talli temple. However, she was detained amid the protest.
Latha has raised allegations that the local Shaikpet Tahsildar and his team allegedly damaged a temple and locked the gate to the place, claiming it is government land.
In the video on X, she announced that she would return to the site in a few days since she had developed a fever during the protest in the rain.
“Let people refer to me as right wing or whatever else, but the poor people know, be it Hindu, Muslim or Christian, that their faith in God gives them the strength to fight their struggles every day,” added Madhavi Latha.
Bajrang Dal threatens Bandh
Despite Madhavi Latha’s absence, protests escalated on Friday, and several people associated with right-wing organisations were taken into custody by the police. They were shifted to the Trimulgherry police station.
Later in the evening, a group of Bajrang Dal workers and others arrived at the spot and staged a protest until late at night. BJP leader Chikoti Praveen and others participated in the protest.
The Bajrang Dal has threatened to give a bandh call if the issue is not resolved. Heavy police presence continues on the site.
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Mohammed Baleegh | 
