Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Telangana president N. Ramchander Rao was arrested by police in Jadcherla on Tuesday (September 22, 2026) while he was proceeding to the Jurala irrigation project site, where farmers have been demanding the release of water to save their standing crops. He was moved to the district police training centre.

Senior BJP leaders, including Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar, MP D.K. Aruna, and others, strongly condemned the arrest and demanded Mr. Rao’s immediate release. Several other leaders were put under ‘house arrest’. The leaders questioned the State government’s commitment to farmers’ welfare and warned that it would face serious repercussions if water was not released in time to protect crops.

The BJP alleged that the Congress government resorted to repressive measures and claimed that its actions had surpassed even those witnessed during the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) regime. The party also criticized what it termed as “anti-democratic” actions of the government.