Hyderabad, March 13 -- Activists in Hyderabad have condemned the house arrest of Syed Bilal, Vice President of the city committee of the Human Rights Forum (HRF), calling it an attempt to curb dissent ahead of the state government's presentation on the proposed Musi Riverfront Development Project.

In a statement, HRF said Bilal, who has been working with residents living along the Musi riverbanks, was confined to his residence hours before chief minister Anumula Revanth Reddy was scheduled to present the project's Detailed Project Report (DPR) outline at Taj Krishna hotel in Hyderabad.

The organisation said the move was aimed at preventing protests over the possible displacement of riverbank communities.

Activists raise concerns with g...