The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : TDLP alleges manhandling of MLA by police officer

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Aug 26, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

TDLP alleges manhandling of MLA by police officer

Special Correspondent

Memorandum submitted to the Speaker seeking action

REPRESENTING A CASE: The Telugu Desam delegation at a meeting with the Speaker, K. R. Suresh Reddy, in Hyderabad on Thursday. PHOTO: P.V.SIVAKUMAR

HYDERABAD: The Telugu Desam Legislature Party on Thursday demanded dismissal of the Deputy Superintendent of Police who threatened the party's Gudivada MLA, Kudali Sri Venkateswara Rao alias Nani, at gunpoint.

The party also demanded booking of case of attempt to murder against him.

Protocol violation

In a memorandum submitted to the Speaker, K. S. Suresh Reddy, a delegation of TDP MLAs and former legislators told him that the Gudivada police officer's action was in clear violation of the privileges of the legislators. By another complaint, the legislators also pointed to the "protocol violation" in in not inviting Mr. Rao to participate in the land patta distribution programme.

Mr. Suresh Reddy told press persons that he had just received the representation from the TDLP.

He would call for a report on protocol violation from the department concerned and then take appropriate action.

`Shameful act'

Addressing press conference, the TDP MLAs -- P. Keshav, E. Dayakar Rao, D. Narendra Kumar, N. Amarendra Reddy and P. Sujatha -- said the Speaker had taken a serious view of the issue.

It was "shameful" that the Government was targeting Opposition MLAs.

There was no precedent of a police officer holding a revolver at the MLA, just because he had taken up the cause of a Dalit farmer.

The farmer had committed suicide after officials attempted to take away his 20-cent land for the land distribution programme.

Accusing the two Ministers -- J. C. Diwakar Reddy and P. Venkateswara Rao -- with influencing the police to act against the TDP MLA, they said a fact- finding legislators' team would go to Gudivada to study the incident.

They said if the MLA was arrested, the TDP would launch an agitation.

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