Hyderabad: Ibrahimpatnam police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against those sharing a video of Congress MLA Malreddy Ranga Reddy allegedly misbehaving with a woman on a bus, while no action has been reported against the MLA himself.
The case was registered on a complaint by Ibrahimpatnam Youth Congress president V Sikinder Reddy on Wednesday, October 7. He sought action against those circulating the video.
Based on the complaint, police booked the case under Section 353(2) for public mischief, Section 336(4) for forgery committed with the intent to harm someone’s reputation, and Section 67 of the Information Technology (IT) Act.
Sikinder said Ranga Reddy travelled in a private bus on the Outer Ring Road (ORR) on Wednesday to personally see how the free bus travel scheme for women, implemented by the Telangana government, was working.
He said that since Ibrahimpatnam is a college zone, a large number of students and women use the scheme. He added that students and women had greeted the MLA warmly during his time in office, and that he spoke to the passengers on the bus.
Sikinder claimed the MLA touched the woman accidentally while the bus was taking a turn. He accused the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) of deliberately sharing the video on social media out of context, saying it could damage Ranga Reddy’s reputation.
Background of the case
The case follows a video that surfaced showing the Ibrahimpatnam MLA allegedly touching a female college student during a bus inspection.
The incident took place aboard a Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) bus on Tuesday, October 6, as the MLA was assessing the impact of the state’s flagship Mahalakshmi scheme.
During the ride, Ranga Reddy, 70, spoke with a young woman standing in the aisle, who said the scheme had saved her Rs 45,000 annually on her college commute.
The video shows Ranga Reddy repeatedly reaching out to touch and hold the student’s arm and hand throughout the exchange. Despite her body language showing visible discomfort and her subtle attempts to pull away, the MLA continued the physical contact.
