Congress leaders face scrutiny over rice diversion in Telangana districts
Police have registered cases against several individuals, including a Congress leader, for the alleged diversion of custom milled rice in Kothagudem and Mulugu.
Police in Kothagudem and Mulugu districts have registered cases against Congress leaders regarding the diversion of custom milled rice (CMR), according to Telangana Today.
In Kothagudem, the three-town police booked Alla Murali Gopalakrishna, a Congress leader described as a follower of Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, for diverting rice valued at Rs 6.90 crore. The case follows an inspection on October 28 at Srija Rice Merchants in Medarabasti, a mill owned by Murali and his partner Anjanamma, led by Civil Supplies Corporation district manager Trinath Babu.
Officials reported that 1,750 metric tonnes of rice were missing from the 2,600 metric tonnes of paddy provided to the mill for government processing. Murali was also accused of diverting rice in 2021 and 2022, for which he recently paid Rs 2 crore.
Another case was filed against Venkateswara Rice and Flour Mill in Aswapuram for the diversion of 637 metric tonnes of rice worth Rs 2.68 crore. Jai Bhim Rao Bharat Party (JBP) state working president Y Kamesh has demanded the immediate arrest of Murali, with party workers protesting at the collectorate on Monday.
In Mulugu, the Telangana Crime Investigation Department (CID) recently arrested local Congress leader and former Mulugu District Rice Millers Association president Badam Praveen. CID officials also arrested Katragadda Satish, Katragadda Sudheer, Edunuri Venkata Reddy, and Repala Satyanarayana, while 11 millers remain absconding.