A shocking incident took place on a live TV show in Telangana on Thursday, when a ruling party MLA physically assaulted a BJP leader during a heated debate. The MLA, who belongs to the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), slapped and punched the BJP leader several times, leaving him injured and bleeding.
The incident happened on a popular Telugu news channel, which was hosting a debate on the recent cabinet expansion of the TRS government led by Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao. The participants of the debate included TRS MLA from Bodhan constituency, Shakil Aamir Mohammed, BJP leader from Nizamabad district, Raghunandan Rao, and other political representatives.
The debate turned ugly when Raghunandan Rao accused the TRS government of being corrupt and nepotistic, and alleged that the cabinet expansion was done to appease the family members and loyalists of KCR. He also claimed that the TRS had failed to deliver on its promises to the people of Telangana, and that the BJP would expose its misdeeds.
This provoked Shakil Aamir Mohammed, who defended the TRS government and its policies, and accused the BJP of spreading lies and propaganda. He also challenged Raghunandan Rao to prove his allegations with evidence, and said that the BJP had no moral right to criticise the TRS.
The argument soon turned into a verbal duel, with both the leaders hurling abuses and insults at each other. The anchor of the show tried to intervene and calm them down, but to no avail. The situation worsened when Shakil Aamir Mohammed lost his temper and got up from his seat. He walked towards Raghunandan Rao and slapped him hard on his face. He then punched him repeatedly on his head and chest, while Raghunandan Rao tried to resist.
The other panelists and the crew members rushed to separate them, but not before Shakil Aamir Mohammed had inflicted serious injuries on Raghunandan Rao. The latter was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The shocking incident was captured on camera and broadcast live on the TV channel. It sparked outrage among the viewers and the political circles, who condemned the violent behaviour of Shakil Aamir Mohammed. The TRS leaders, however, tried to downplay the incident, and said that it was an unfortunate outcome of a heated argument.
The police have registered a case against Shakil Aamir Mohammed for voluntarily causing hurt and criminal intimidation, based on a complaint filed by Raghunandan Rao. They have also collected the video footage of the incident as evidence. They said that they would investigate the case and take necessary action as per law.
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