Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada   

Vacuum in city police

A. Saye Sekhar

No full-fledged police commissioner since a month

VIJAYAWADA: It is exactly a month since the city doesn't have a full-fledged police commissioner. Erstwhile commissioner of city police Umesh Sharraf was asked to go on leave on October 21 by the Director-General of Police. What prompted this action? Following a demonstration on October 20 by activists of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in which Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy was portrayed in a pejorative manner, Congress activists staged a dharna in front of the Commissionerate. As a sequel to that Mr. Sharraf was asked to go on leave.

Mr. Sharraf was unique in his coming to and going from the city, in the sense that neither his predecessor nor his successor is a full-fledged commissioner of the city police. Mr. Sharraf assumed charge after the post remained vacant for exactly a month from August 28, 2004 to September 27. By the time he was posted here, Eluru Range DIG K. Narasimha Reddy was holding the fort. Similarly, present DIG of Eluru Range C.V. Anand assumed charge as an in-charge commissioner soon after Mr. Sharraf proceeded on leave. Finally, Mr. Sharraf reported for duty in the chief office and is awaiting a posting.

The post of the commissioner had never been vacant for one full month ever since the formation of police commissionerate on May 10, 1989.

There was a 10-day gap between V. Bhaskar Reddy (relieved on October 27, 1990) and R.P. Singh (assumed charge on November 7, 1990). Thereafter, the city police never had a day without a chief till August 28, 2004. The State Government transferred out then commissioner T. Krishna Prasad on the opening day of Krishna Pushkarams following a stampede in which five persons were killed. It took one month for the Government to appoint a full-fledged commissioner.

TDP's criticism

Who will take the baton from Mr. Sharraf? Local media speculated on a few names for a few days and finally gave up. The city is yet to have a full-fledged police commissioner.

City TDP president Gadde Rammohan on Tuesday sought to know if the city required a police commissioner at all when the post was lying vacant for one month. He said that it was nothing but the "inefficiency of the Government," for it kept the post vacant for more than a month. This showed that the Government had least concern about maintenance of law and order in an important city like Vijayawada, he observed.

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