Musi Jan Andolan activist under house arrest ahead of Telangana CM’s presentation on river rejuvenation

Activist Syed Bilal faces house arrest ahead of Telangana CM's Musi River rejuvenation presentation, prompting MJA's boycott.

A vocal activist from the Musi Jan Andolan (MJA) has been detained inside his home at Chaderghat, Hyderabad, on Friday (March 13, 2026), hours ahead of the Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s scheduled unveiling of proposed plans for the Musi Riverfront Development project.

The activist, Syed Bilal, from the slum Shankarnagar on the Musi river bank, was part of the 12 member delegation from the MJA which met the Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and his cabinet colleagues at his residence on Thursday.

“I was very vocal and cornered the Ministers with my uncomfortable questions about the way they demolished the homes at Chaderghat slums after our last meeting with them, and how they are going against Mahatma Gandhi’s ethos and [Congress leader] Rahul Gandhi’s assurances by forcing this project on us. They felt threatened, and sent the police to my home today,” Mr. Bilal shared on phone.

He said the police conveyed their intention to detain him in the police station, but when he expressed his inability to come owing to ‘Roza’, they relented and detained him at home.

“A huge posse of policemen is standing guard outside my home, even as I am speaking to you. Irony is that we were invited to take part in the meeting with the Chief Minister today,” Mr. Bilal said.

MJA, through a statement, condemned Mr. Bilal’s ‘arbitrary house arrest’, and termed it as ‘undemocratic’, especially after the ‘dialogue’ on Thursday. It further informed that though it had been extended a last minute oral invitation by Mr. Bhatti Vikramarka for the event on Friday, it was taking a principled stand not to participate owing to what it termed ‘severe democratic deficit’.