Balka Suman arrested over call to target Singareni properties

Hyderabad: BRS leader and former MLA Balka Suman was arrested by Nampally police from BRS Bhavan in Banjara Hills on Saturday for allegedly making inflammatory remarks that, according to police, incited party workers to engage in militant activities and damage public property, including offices of Singareni Collieries.Suman is expected to be produced before a magistrate later in the night.The action stems from a speech he delivered at a meeting of party workers at BRS Bhavan on May 26, during which he was heard urging party cadre to target Singareni properties. Following the speech, police registered a case invoking multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property (PDPP) Act.A team comprising Nampally police and task force personnel maintained a vigil outside BRS Bhavan from morning, as Suman had been staying at the party headquarters since the case was registered against him on May 26.At around 1 pm, Suman stepped out of the party office and addressed the media before his arrest."The Congress govt is booking cases against anyone raising their voice against it. The sections invoked against me are not applicable. During the Telangana statehood movement, 264 cases were booked against me, and several more have been filed over the last three years. We will fight this legally," Suman said.Soon after, amid slogan-shouting by BRS workers protesting the move, police took Suman into custody and shifted him to Nampally police station for questioning."Once the questioning is completed and arrest formalities are finished, we will produce Suman before a magistrate," a senior police official said.Additional police personnel were deployed at the station to prevent protests by BRS supporters.The controversy erupted after videos of Suman's speech at the party meeting surfaced on social media. Based on a complaint filed by SB Anand, a junior inspector posted at Singareni Bhavan in Hyderabad, police alleged that Suman made provocative, inflammatory and threatening statements, calling upon party workers to damage Singareni properties at various locations.Based on Anand's complaint, police registered a case against Suman and others under Sections 326(g) (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy property), 351(3) (criminal intimidation), and 353(1)(b) (statements conducing to public mischief) of the BNS. The case also invokes Sections 55 (abetment of an offence punishable with death or life imprisonment) and 61(2)(a) (criminal conspiracy), along with Section 4 of the PDPP Act.Meanwhile, Suman's legal team has approached the Telangana high court seeking anticipatory bail. The petition is scheduled to come up for hearing on June 4.