Bharatiya Janata Party’s Telangana unit chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar was remanded to judicial custody for 14 days on Monday. He had been arrested on Sunday for breaching Covid-19 protocols during a protest, The Indian Express reported. BJP members also entered into a scuffle with the police while protesting against his arrest.

Kumar and other BJP leaders staged an overnight protest on Sunday at his office in Karimnagar town against a new zonal transfer policy introduced by the state government earlier this month. The BJP leaders alleged that the policy that affects state government employees and teachers was arbitrary. About two hours into the protest, police broke open the door lock and stormed into the office, The Hindu reported.

Karimnagar Police Commissioner V Satyanarayana said that a first information report has been filed against 21 people under Section 51(B) of the Disaster Management Act and Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code for lack of physical distancing and not wearing masks during the protest, The News Minute reported.

At least 70 people were arrested and released later after notices were issued to them, he added.

Kumar, however, was kept at Manakondur police station till Monday, The News Minute reported. He was later shifted to the Police Training Centre in Karimnagar town.

Tensions erupted at the police training centre as several BJP workers gathered to protest Kumar’s arrest. They shouted slogans and engaged in a scuffle with the police officers, after which they were detained.

As many as 16 persons have been booked for rioting and attacking policemen besides violation of the Disaster Management Act.

Meanwhile, BJP President JP Nadda on Monday condemned Kumar’s arrest, claiming that the the police had baton-charged the protestors even as they were holding a peaceful protest. Nadda said that the police action reflected Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao’s frustration that stemmed from BJP’s win in the recent bye-poll in Huzurabad.