Jan attacks on Reliance: 1,208 held

Over 1200 people have been taken in custody over attacks on Reliance properties and outlets in January, stated Home Minister P Sabitha Indra Reddy during Question Hour in the Legislative Council on Wednesday.

The Home Minister said 1,208 people have been arrested for their involvement in several incidents of arson and destruction of Reliance properties in January this year.

The violence followed after Telugu news channels TV5 and two others broadcast a story about the conspiracy theory behind the death of former chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy in a copter crash on Sept 2. The story was based on a defunct website, which alleged a link between the copter crash and Reliance Industries.

The Home Minister was replying to a question raised by Telugu Desam Party (TDP) members Dadi Veerabhadra Rao and Y V B Rajendra Prasad and she said the government had registered 233 cases against the culprits and 400 people were yet to be arrested. Efforts were on to apprehend them, she added.