India
Telangana Assembly Session Disrupted Amid Row Over Speaker Insult and Police Action Against BRS Legislators
The second day of the Telangana Assembly's monsoon session on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, was marked by heated exchanges over unresolved issues from the previous day, leading to a temporary adjournment before proceedings resumed in the afternoon.
The controversy centered on allegations that a Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) legislator had used "unparliamentary" language against Assembly Speaker G. Prasad Kumar, as well as claims of police misconduct toward BRS women legislators during Monday's session.
In connection with the alleged derogatory remarks against the Speaker, Hyderabad Police arrested BRS MLCs Tata Madhu and Naveen Kumar Reddy. Separately, the Saifabad Police Station filed a case against several BRS MLAs and MLCs, including Harish Rao, Sudheer Reddy, Kamalakar, and Koushik Reddy. The charges included violating the Speaker's dress-code directive, abusing women police officers, removing shirts, manhandling police personnel, and forcing entry.
During Tuesday's session, BRS Deputy Floor Leader T. Harish Rao held up placards protesting what he described as inappropriate conduct by police toward BRS women legislators, demanding disciplinary action against the officers involved.
Speaker Prasad Kumar attempted to reassure lawmakers that the matter was under review and that appropriate measures would follow once a formal report was received. Legislative Affairs Minister D. Sridhar Babu also addressed the agitated BRS members, outlining the government's steps to compile a complete account of the incident.
Harish Rao countered that rather than taking action against those responsible, authorities had instead filed cases against MLAs P. Sabita Indra Reddy, Sunita Lakshma Reddy, and Kova Lakshmi.
As the sloganeering continued, an visibly frustrated Speaker responded sharply to the BRS members, saying, "I should be angry. Me and my mother have been abused, not you."
The situation escalated when Harish Rao moved into the Well of the House, where marshals prevented him from advancing further, even as other BRS legislators joined him. With disorder continuing to disrupt the session, the Speaker adjourned proceedings, which later resumed in the afternoon.