Indian police arrest Varavara Rao over conspiracy to assassinate Modi

Indian police arrested Hyderabad-based revolutionary writer Varavara Rao on Tuesday in a case relating to alleged conspiracy to assassinate Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  

He was arrested following raids on his flat in the capital city of Telangana state, according to media reports.

Special teams of Pune police, assisted by their local Telangana counterparts, also raided the flat of a senior journalist KV Kurmanath and T Kranthi, a photographer in Hyderabad, The Hindu reports.

Kurmanath is Rao’s son-in-law. They both live in separate flats of Himasai apartment building in Ashoknagar.

Accompanied by local police, the Pune police came to the apartment building in Ashoknagar in Hyderabad around 7:00am.

Dividing into two teams, they began searching the flats of the writer and the journalist. Their mobile phones were taken over by the police.

Another team raided the house of Kranthi at Nagole on eastern part of Hyderabad. The police ensured that no papers or documents were taken out from the two flats by occupants of other flats while the searches were on.

As word about the ‘raids’ spread, members of different associations turned up at the apartment complex, according to The Hindu.

Organisations like Telangana Praja Front circulated text and video messages through social media platforms condemning the raid.

Displaying placards, they raised slogans describing the raids as an “attempt to suppress democratic voices questioning Modi.”

No cases were registered against Kurmanath and Kranthi. Pune police thoroughly searched their residences for several hours and reportedly seized some electronic gadgets from them.

Rao was first taken to Gandhi hospital for check-up before being presented at Nampally criminal court when reports last came in.

The Pune police are likely to shift him to Pune on transit warrant after producing him before the court.