The Telangana BJP MLA T Raja Singh Lodh accused the police of "attacking and injuring" him when he and his supporters were putting up a new statue of freedom fighter Rani Avanti Bai in place of an old one in Hyderabad on Thursday. According to the police, around 2 a.m Raja Singh along with around 200 followers violated the law when they attempted to erect a 20-foot statue at Jummerat Bazar area, to replace the old one which is half its size, without any seeking any permit and in violation of law.

Hyderabad: BJP MLA Raja Singh was injured in scuffle with police while trying to replace statue of Rani Avantibai statue at Jummerath Bazar Circle with a new one, in the early morning hours today. #Telangana pic.twitter.com/J3dukt1RGt — ANI (@ANI) June 20, 2019

BJP president in Telangana K Laxman condemned the action of the cops against Raja and claimed that the ruling TRS is unable to digest his party's growing popularity in the state.

"When MLA Raja Singh was installing the statue in its place, why this over-enthusiasm of the police? Why this discrimination? BJP severely condemns this," he told reporters, flanked by Singh. "(TRS) government is unable to digest the growing popularity of BJP in Telangana in recent times, not able to tolerate four BJP MPs winning (in Lok Sabha polls)," he said. Police remained a mute spectator and did not raise an objection when a AIMIM MLA took the law into his hands in the issue of demolition of a structure during road-widening in Hyderabad last month, he alleged. Police had nothing to do with the incident Wednesday night and no objection was raised by municipal authorities, he claimed. Police started lathi-charging BJP workers and the MLA without prior warning, he alleged.

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"When hit by a lathi, he (Singh), in that charged moment, hit his head with a stone, saying you want to kill me, why this partiality and what mistake I am committing. We are only re-installing the existing statue. Nothing new... Why this malice," Laxman said.

"This way, why this vindictiveness and discrimination for this government towards BJP leaders, MLAs and workers in recent times," Laxman said. He asked whether the TRS government is doing such things intentionally as part of its alleged vindictiveness. He asked Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao as to why the government is not able to rein in the police. The TRS government is not able to restrain its ally AIMIM when it indulged in actions not in public interest, but adopted a vindictive attitude towards BJP, he claimed. Referring to the murder of a youth, claimed to be a BJP worker, in Mahabubnagar, he said BJP would not fear even if the ruling side started politics of murder and indulged in threats, and arrests against BJP leaders and workers.

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BJP faced the politics of violence of the ruling TMC in West Bengal, he claimed. BJP cannot be stopped through arrests and politics of murder, he said. BJP leaders then had a meeting with Additional DGP and demanded for action against the policemen who acted with over-enthusiasm, Laxman said.

"We will face this politics of violence democratically, peacefully," he said. The city unit of BJP called for a bandh in Goshamahal, represented by Raja Singh, on Friday, he said.

Raja Singh claimed that the police "attacked" them and resorted to lathi-charge and he sustained "serious" head injuries and had to be rushed to the hospital. However, on the other hand, the police denied his allegation and countered by saying he inflicted those injuries on himself and booked a case of rioting against Singh and others under relevant IPC sections. Singh, who is the lone BJP MLA in Telangana, posed a question: "Why the police was "targetting him regularly?" Deputy Commissioner of Police (West Zone) A R Srinivas dismissed Raja Singh's accusations and termed his claims that police attacked him as "totally false."

A.R. Srinivas, DCP (West Zone), #Hyderabad on BJP MLA Raja Singh injured in scuffle with police while trying to replace statue of Rani Avantibai yesterday: Police asked them to show the permission that they can install the statue. They could not show the permission. (20-06) pic.twitter.com/qkJvks1NXS — ANI (@ANI) June 21, 2019

"They wanted to install the new statue in place of old one without permission which the police opposed and resisted following which Raja Singh and his supporters manhandled our policemen in which a few of our policemen sustained minor bruises. It is surprising that Raja Singh today claims he was attacked by police and injured, but it is totally false," the DCP told reporters here. The police also released a video footage which purportedly shows Singh, who has been booked multiple times in the past for his alleged "inflammatory" remarks against a particular community, hitting his head with a stone-like object.

In a video, Singh referred to it purportedly showing him hitting his head with a stone. "Commissioner saab, I picked up the stone when your policemen hit me with lathi. I said, don't hit with lathi, take this stone and finish Raja Singh. I told this to your officers... Your target is to finish Raja Singh. I am ready to die for the country," he said. He dared the Commissioner to release the video of policemen allegedly hitting him and party workers with lathis. A Lodhi-tribe warrior queen, Rani Avantibai Lodhi was the wife of Vikramaditya Singh, the ruler of the state of Ramgarh. She raised a 4,000-member army and personally led it against the British in 1857.

Inputs from PTI

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