Telangana local body chief who 'kicked' woman arrested

A ruling TRS representative of a rural local body in Telangana was arrested today, a day after he allegedly kicked a woman in the chest with the video of the incident going viral, police said.

I.Gopi, the president of Dharpally Mandal in Nizamabad district and belonging to the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), was arrested based on a complaint by the woman, who has a civil dispute with him, an investigating official told PTI.

He was produced before a court in Nizamabad which remanded him to 14 days judicial custody.

Gopi had yesterday allegedly assaulted the woman after she hit him with her footwear following an argument over sale of a property, police said.

A case had been registered against him under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 354 (assault or criminal force on woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation).

Gopi too lodged a counter-complaint following which a case had been registered against the woman and some of her relatives for alleged trespass and damaging his property, when they held a protest near his house yesterday demanding that he hand over the property to her, police said.

In the complaint, the woman said Gopi had last year sold her a plot also comprising a house for Rs 33.72 lakh and it was duly registered.

But, he had demanded an additional Rs 50 lakh in view of the "rise" in land rates in the area, police said.

He had till date not handed over the property and had been threatening her, police said, citing her complaint.