A video that has gone viral shows 70‑year‑old Congress MLA Malreddy Ranga Reddy holding a girl student’s hand while the RTC bus was in motion on a busy route in Telangana. The two students, who were part of the state’s ‘Mahalakshmi’ free‑bus scheme for women, said they had been travelling on state‑run buses for a year and saved about ₹45,000 annually. Ranga Reddy was recorded engaging the girls in a conversation about the scheme as the bus took a turn near Bonguluru after a meeting with the district collector’s office.
BRS leader R S Praveen Kumar slammed the incident on X, asking why the MLA should touch a woman’s hand and calling it an offence that outrages modesty. He demanded that the Telangana State Women’s Commission obtain a legal opinion and summon the MLA for a formal inquiry, and urged the DGP Women Safety to file a complaint under Section 354 IPC.
Ranga Reddy denied any impropriety, saying he had approached the students with 'fatherly affection' while discussing the bus scheme and that the footage had been misinterpreted by the opposition. He added that he respected women and that the video captured normal interaction, not misconduct.
If the Women’s Commission follows the BRS’s request, it could issue a summons for Ranga Reddy by early November, potentially leading to a court hearing. The incident is already stirring debate in the state assembly, where lawmakers are expected to debate the matter in the coming session.