india

Updated: Jul 01, 2019 22:22 IST

A day after Telugu Rashtiya Samithi leader Koneru Krishna Rao was arrested for assaulting a woman forest officer in Sarasala village in Komaram Bheem Asifabad district, a video surfaced on Monday afternoon in which his brother and MLA Koneru Konappa is seen tutoring local tribals and party workers on what to tell the media and also the police officers by twisting Sunday’s episode.

“I will call the reporters. Tell them that the forest officials were harassing you physically every day and that they were threatening you from taking up cultivation in your lands inside the forest,” the MLA is heard saying in the video.

“Tell the media that the forest officials had beaten you 15 days ago and again on Sunday. All of you tell this version to the media, one after the other,” he goes on to add.

Hindustan Times cannot vouch for the authenticity of the video.

The Telangana police have filed cases against Krishna Rao and 13 others under various sections of the Indian Penal Code for assaulting Chole Anitha, forest range officer.

The opposition Congress has demanded that MLA Konappa be punished along with his brother Krishna. The party constituted a five-member fact finding committee to find out the truth.

While TRS working president K T Rama Rao had condemned Krishna Rao’s atrocious behavior on Sunday, the party top brass has not yet reacted to the video featuring Konappa.