Hyderabad: Harvard Courses Land in December as BRS-Congress Political Fight Escalates
Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy announced on Thursday that Harvard University will launch executive education courses in Hyderabad from December, positioning the city as a global knowledge hub. The news came as political tensions between the ruling Congress and opposition BRS intensified, with KT Rama Rao's aides alleging an assault by masked men inside a city police station, and a civic group raising fresh concerns about a government road agency.
🎓 Harvard Executive Education Heads to Hyderabad
Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy confirmed that Harvard University will begin offering executive education courses in Hyderabad from December this year, following a meeting with a delegation of business schools from the United Kingdom. The CM, who himself attended a six-day leadership programme at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government earlier in 2026, said the arrival of foreign educational institutions would strengthen collaboration between global academia and local industry and would boost research capacity in the city. The state government is presenting this as a key step in making Telangana a 'global knowledge hub.' Harvard's executive programmes are expected to serve senior professionals and business leaders seeking internationally accredited credentials without travelling abroad. Participants are likely to come from Hyderabad's technology sector, traditional industries, manufacturing, and public service. Deccan Herald and The Hans India reported that the CM's office is in active conversation with other UK business schools as well, signalling a broader wave of international academic partnerships on the horizon. [1]
Six Students Drown During Ganesh Idol Immersion
A devastating tragedy unfolded during Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations when six students from a hostel drowned in a Telangana lake while taking part in idol immersion rituals. The Times of India reported that the hostel warden was fully aware of the dangers yet sent eight students into the water to carry out the immersion anyway. Six of them did not survive. The warden was arrested in the aftermath. The incident renewed calls for stricter oversight of supervised religious activities involving students near natural water bodies. Authorities are reviewing institutional protocols for immersion participation, and child welfare groups are urging schools and hostels across Telangana to enforce clear safety guidelines during the festival each year. The tragedy cast a sorrowful shadow over what is one of the most widely celebrated festivals in Hyderabad, where tens of thousands normally gather at lakes and tanks for the Visarjan procession with jubilant processions and music. Community leaders expressed grief and called for systemic accountability. [2]
🗳️ NGO Flags Financial Irregularities in HRDCL Road Agency
The Forum for Good Governance, a Hyderabad-based non-profit, has raised serious allegations of financial irregularities, tender manipulation, and opacity at the Hyderabad Road Development Corporation Limited (HRDCL). Forum president M. Padmanabha Reddy submitted a formal letter to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy citing the GHMC Act, 1955, which grants the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation jurisdiction over roads within city limits. The R&B Department separately manages roughly 600 kilometres of road network inside the city. The forum argues that creating HRDCL as yet another road maintenance agency over the same jurisdiction is redundant and creates conditions that invite financial mismanagement and lack of accountability. The Siasat Daily reported that the letter highlights overlapping mandates, alleged tender rigging, and weak procurement oversight across the corporation's operations. Padmanabha Reddy called for a thorough independent inquiry and demanded that HRDCL's activities be placed under stronger legislative scrutiny, greater public accountability mechanisms, and transparent reporting of expenditure to residents. [5]
🗳️ KTR Defends KCR Family Landholdings, Targets CM Revanth
BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao held a press conference to respond to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's Telangana assembly speech, in which the CM accused the KCR family of illegally acquiring over 400 acres through anti-social activities. KTR acknowledged that KCR was born into a landlord family in 1954 and that the family historically owned substantial land in Chintamadaka, with details he said are documented in government records. He stated that KCR currently holds only 67 acres and lives at a farmhouse on the city's outskirts, while KTR himself lives in Narsingi. KTR said the family does not have a permanent home inside Hyderabad city, framing this as evidence of modest means. He turned the challenge back on Revanth Reddy, questioning the origins of the CM's own wealth accumulation, and offered to submit to an external audit overseen by a Supreme Court judge. Gulte reported that the exchange reflects a deepening personal and political rivalry between the two leaders ahead of future state elections. [6]
KTR Aides Allege Masked Assault Inside Saifabad Police Station
Two associates of BRS leader KT Rama Rao allege they were assaulted by masked men inside the Saifabad police station, where they had been summoned for questioning in a case involving alleged abuse of on-duty police officers. KTR's public relations officer Manikya Mahesh and personal assistant Mahender Reddy claimed the attackers entered the station in disguise and attacked them on September 14 while they were inside for questioning. Khairatabad DCP K. Shilpavalli denied the allegations, stating that a group of visitors had come only to seek permission for a Ganesh Chaturthi DJ event. The News Minute reported that the BRS party has framed the alleged incident as deliberate political intimidation by those aligned with the ruling government. The dispute fits a pattern of escalating confrontation between BRS and the ruling Congress in Hyderabad, raising questions about political conduct at law-enforcement premises and the need for independent oversight of how such complaints are investigated. [7]
Sources: [1] Deccan Herald · [2] The Times of India · [5] The Siasat Daily · [6] Gulte · [7] The News Minute