The Karimnagar police in Telangana has on Monday arrested Telangana BJP Chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar, which has stirred outrage from the Central ruling party with the party's president calling the arrest as the murder of democracy. He was detained on Sunday amid the protests and he has been sent to 14 days of judicial custody.

According to reports, the police had detained and taken Sanjay Kumar into their custody on Sunday while he was holding a protest in Karimnagar, demanding the resolution of teachers' problems in the state. On Monday, after taking him into their custody, the police had arrested and a case was filed against him for his protest. He was then produced before the Karimnagar District Court and the court has sent Sanjay Kumar to 14 days of judicial custody. 

He was arrested for violating Telangana's Covid-19 guidelines. Besides being the BJP President, Sanjay Kumar is also the Karimnagar MP and he had protested against the state government's order related to the introduction of a zonal system in the allocation of jobs. After knowing that Sanjay Kumar was arrested, BJP National President JP Nadda has slammed the Telangana Chief Minister and the police for arresting the state's BJP Chief, who protested peacefully at his office by adhering to the Covid protocols.

JP Nadda said, "The arrest of Telangana BJP Chief Bandi Sanjay is highly condemnable and amounts to the murder of democracy. He was peacefully staging a protest following all Covid protocols in his office. Police forcibly entered his office and manhandled him. K Chandrashekhar Rao government has gone mad seeing BJP's victory in recent bypolls and the support that our party is receiving in the state. We will take all legal and democratic recourse against the police action." 

Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan has said, "Condemn the high handedness of Telangana State Police and the arrest of Bandi Sanjay Kumar ahead of Jagarana Deeksha." Another BJP leader Ramchander Rao said, "I condemn the arrest of state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar and other BJP leaders to foil the Jagarana Deeksha in Karimnagar, which was undertaken to demand withdrawal of Government Order 317 on the employees' transfer policy." 

The arrest of Telangana BJP chief Bandi Sanjay is highly condemnable and amounts to the murder of democracy. He was peacefully staging a protest following all COVID protocols in his office. Police forcibly entered his office & manhandled him: BJP president JP Nadda pic.twitter.com/Fg8w67D5af

— ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2022