E-Paper
EC revokes ex-DGP’s suspension; Telangana govt shifts top cops of state capital region
The Congress government headed by chief minister A Revanth Reddy shunted out commissioners of police of Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Rachakonda within the state capital limits
The Election Commission of India on Tuesday revoked the suspension of former director general of police (DGP) of Telangana Anjani Kumar, according to a government statement.
In another development, the Congress government headed by chief minister A Revanth Reddy shunted out commissioners of police of Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Rachakonda within the state capital limits.
Anjani Kumar was placed under suspension on December 3 evening, when the results of Telangana assembly elections were declared, for meeting Revanth Reddy, who was not even designated as the chief ministerial candidate at that time.
The EC felt that Anjani Kumar’s meeting with Revanth Reddy amounted to “violation of the model code of conduct”, as the counting of votes in some constituencies was still underway. The code of conduct was in force till December 5. In his place, the ECI appointed another senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Ravi Gupta as the interim DGP. The ECI also issued notices to two other IPS officers – Mahesh Muralidhar Bhagwat and Sanjay Jain on similar grounds.
In his explanation, Anjani Kumar had stated that he had gone to meet Revanth Reddy only at the latter’s call “to discuss the arrangements for swearing in ceremony and that he had not done it intentionally”.
“The ECI was satisfied with his explanation and ordered that the state government reinstate him in the service,” an official in the Telangana chief minister’s office said on the condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, the Revanth Reddy government shifted Hyderabad police commissioner Sandeep Shandilya and replaced him with another top cop Kothakota Srinivasa Reddy. Similarly, Cyberabad police commissioner Stephen Ravindra was transferred and replaced by Avinash Mohanty and Rachakonda police commissioner Devendra Singh Chouhan was replaced by G Sudheer Babu.
Sandeep Shandhilya has been posted as the director of Telangana State Narcotics Bureau. Stephen Raveendra and D S Chauhan were asked to report at the DGP office.
In a separate order, the government appointed Hyderabad range deputy inspector general of police Shahnawaz Qasim as the secretary to the chief minister.
