Hyderabad: Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury was on Thursday seen in a video purportedly grabbing the collar of a police official during a protest against the grilling of top party leader Rahul Gandhi by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money-laundering case pertaining to the National Herald-AJL deal. A video showing Chowdhury “arguing” with police officials who were trying to prevent her from going to Raj Bhavan and later seen holding the collar of a police official, went viral. She was immediately taken away by women police personnel.
Later, Chowdhury told TV channels that she had no intention of humiliating the police official and she merely caught hold of his shoulder as she was about to fall when being pushed. “We know how to respect the uniform. Police also have to learn to respect women. I have no intention of hitting policemen… but I was being manhandled… I was losing my balance…,” she said.
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President and party MP A Revanth Reddy, Congress Legislature Party leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and several others were taken into preventive custody by police as they were proceeding towards Raj Bhavan.
The protest caused traffic jam on Khairtabad Circle and surrounding areas.
A two-wheeler was set on fire and some protesters were seen climbing on a state-run city bus even as window panes of the bus were smashed allegedly by an agitator.
The demonstrators raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the police.
