Police have advised social activist Medha Patkar to leave the house of a city-based activist here in view of law and order concerns, as there was no prior intimation to police about her visit.
Patkar, who is in Hyderabad to attend the NAPM's 30th anniversary national convention, visited an activist's house in the Chaderghat area near the Musi river.
Kiran Kumar Vissa of the National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) said Patkar went on an impromptu visit to the locality and it was not a planned protest.
She went to visit and meet some volunteers living in the area and to meet people "affected" by the Musi project, Vissa said.
Patkar visited the area, interacted with some residents and left, he said.
Police, however, denied reports that the reason for sending her back from the locality was linked to her visit to those allegedly affected by the proposed Musi river rejuvenation project of the Telangana government.
A police team went to the house of the activist on Monday and asked Patkar about the purpose of her visit, to which she replied that she came to meet a friend.
"Patkar is a national-level leader. There was no intimation to police about her visit by the person who invited her (to the house). What if something happened to her? Police did not object to her visit. We could arranged for her protection had the police been informed before," a senior police officer said.
Patkar was requested to leave the locality citing law and order concerns and it had nothing to do with the Musi river rejuvenation project, the officer added.
"When police got to know that she was there, they reached the spot and requested her to go back, saying there was no permission for staging a protest or taking out a 'padayatra'. She told police that she had the right to visit any place and talk to the people and that they cannot stop her. She also said that no protest or anything similar was planned," Vissa said.
The Congress government in Telangana has proposed to take up the rejuvenation of Musi river flowing through Hyderabad.
The opposition BRS and the BJP have attacked the Congress government for allegedly demolishing houses of the poor along the river.
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