WATCH | Indian Minister's cousin slaps on-duty cop during heated argument, arrested after video goes viral

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Minister BC Janardhan Reddy’s cousin allegedly slapped a constable on duty during the inauguration of a temple in Andhra Pradesh. The video of the incident, which took place on Wednesday (Jul 30) at the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in Kolimigundla, Kurnool district, has gone viral on social media, drawing criticism.

Following the incident, the Opposition party, Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP), slammed the TDP leaders and their family members for “openly displaying arrogance”. They further said that no immediate action was taken despite the assault happening in public, revealing “how the police force has been reduced to a tool under political pressure.”

Allegedly, the Minister’s cousin, Madana Bhupal Reddy, was demanding entry into the temple but engaged in a heated argument with the on-duty police constable, Jaswanth Kumar, who was tasked with managing the crowd.

After he was denied entry into the temple, Madana started verbally abusing him, then attacked him physically, as seen in the video. Soon, other police personnel intervened to control the situation.

The incident was caught on camera, footage of which has been widely circulated on social media. TDP minister Reddy, who was present at the event, condemned the assault and called for strict legal action against his cousin.

“I strongly condemn the assault on the AR constable. As soon as I came to know about the incident, I issued instructions to senior police officials to register an FIR and take legal action against whoever was involved. There is no place for such behaviour in public life. Those in public life should act responsibly,” Reddy said.

A case has been registered by the Kolimigundla police under IPC Sections 132, 121(1), 126(2), and 351(2), which deal with obstructing and assaulting a public servant on duty. Madana Bhupal Reddy was arrested by the police on Friday (Aug 1).