Amidst high drama, former MLA Balka Suman, along with four others, was arrested in connection with the violence during the Kyathanapalli Municipality Chairman election.
They were produced before the Magistrate, who remanded them to 14 days of judicial custody. Tension prevailed during the arrest as Mr. Suman refused to cooperate.
When police arrived to take him into custody, a large number of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) activists gathered at the spot and obstructed the arrest. Police had to push the party workers aside leading to a scuffle. As Mr. Suman refused to cooperate, police personnel forcibly lifted him. He was shifted to the Srirampur Police Station.
The arrest followed a case registered on Tuesday, accusing Mr. Suman of assaulting police personnel and obstructing them from discharging their duties during the election. Videos also surfaced where Mr. Suman was seen throwing a traffic cone on Minister G. Vivek’s car when he came to cast his ex-officio vote.
The arrest led to political reactions. Mr. Vivek alleged that Mr. Suman had indulged in ‘goondaism’, forgetting that he was a former MLA and a former MP. BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao condemned the police action, alleging that the arrest was made without any notice.
Mr. Rama Rao blamed Minister Vivek of manipulating the Kyathanapalli Municipality Chairman election process. BRS MLA T. Harish Rao also took objection to the arrest calling it undemocratic.
Published – February 18, 2026 09:40 pm IST
