Rights activist Varavara Rao returns to a quiet welcome in Hyderabad, to be put under house arrest

Nearly 20 policemen stood guard in the corridors of the apartment while scores were deployed in its vicinity.

Telugu poet and activist Varavara Rao, who was arrested by the Pune police two days ago from his house in Hyderabad, was flown back by them on Thursday morning.

A Pune police team arrived at the Shamshabad airport around 6.30 a.m. and amidst tight security, drove Mr. Rao to his flat in Ashoknagar. Mr. Rao was among the five human rights activists detained by the Pune police from different parts of the country for their alleged links with the Bhima-Koregaon violence this January. Following a petition challenging their arrests, the Supreme Court directed the police on Wednesday to keep them under arrest in their respective homes.

A battery of Hyderabad policemen accompanied the Pune police as they brought Mr. Rao to his house. Nearly 20 policemen stood guard in the corridors of the apartment building while scores were deployed in its vicinity.

Mr. Rao’s relatives had heated arguments with the local police as the latter initially refused to allow them to see him. However, they were eventually permitted to meet him along with family members.

“Most of the local police were in plainclothes when they assisted the Pune police in arresting Mr. Rao. Today, all of them wore uniforms. After a few hours, the number of policemen deployed thinned,” Mr. Rao’s son-in-law and journalist K.V. Kurmanath said.