YSR Congress party president and leader of opposition Y S Jaganmohan Reddy’s complaint to the Election Commission of India seeking replacement of police officers close to Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu has kicked up a controversy.
Jagan has alleged that Naidu had indulged in gross favouritism by giving promotions to only those officers who belonged to his caste (read: Kamma), with an intention to misuse the police forces during the coming elections.
He gave a list of officials belonging to Kamma caste and urged the Election Commission to keep them away from election duty to ensure free and fair elections.
According to the sources, the list comprises more than 30 police officials of Kamma community, led by state intelligence chief A B Venkateswara Rao.
The list includes Gattamaneni Srinivasa Rao DIG L&O, N B M Murali Krishna, SDPO Nellore Town, Amarnath Naidu, DSP Intelligence, Liaison Officer to Nara Lokesh, Radhe Syam, SDPO Ongole, N Yugendar Babu, SDPO, Palamaneru, Chittoor, Nageswara Rao, ACP, Tirupati East, Ankineedu Prasad, ACP, Central Vijayawada city, K Ramesh Babu, ACP, North Vijayawada City, G Rama Krishna, ACP, Mangalagiri and G Poorna Chandra Rao, ACP, East Visakhapatnam City.
The other Kamma cops are: S Venkateshwara Rao, SDPO Kovvur, West Godavari dist, A S C Bose, SDPO, Nandigama, Krishna, Nimmagadda Rama Rao, DSP, Central Rajahmundry Urban, Bachupalli Srinivasa Rao, SDPO, Kurnool, D Sravan Kumar DSP Intelligence, Narra Venkateswara Rao, RIO, Intelligence Rajahmundry, Geeta, RIO, Intelligence, Vijayawada, Chenchu Babu, DSP Intelligence Nellore, Ramanjaneyulu DSP SB Guntur Urban, Jasti Venkata Ramana, DSP, Special Branch Guntur Rural, N T V Ram Kumar, DSP, Special Branch, Anantapuram, Nunna Murali Krishna, DSP, SC ST cell Kovvur, West Godavari, Mahesh, SDPO, Gudivada Krishna, Choudeswari, Addl SP, Anantapuram, Guntupalli Srinivas Rao, DSP Intelligence Visakhapatnam, Umamaheswara Rao, DSP Special Branch, Krishna Dist. Rayapati Srinivas DSP Intelligence, Guntur Dist, Vikram Srinivasa Rao, DSP, Intelligence, V V Naidu DSP Intelligence, A V R B Prasad, DSP, Y T Naidu, ASP, Guntur, Ramkumar, DSP, Special Branch, Nellore.
While it is an open secret that Naidu has posted senior cops from his caste in key positions, one wonders whether Jagan is justified to target just one community.
Going by the list, it appears that he has chosen even DSP and Reserve Inspector-level officials to target them because of their caste affiliation.
It also sends a wrong signal to the people that Jagan is anti-Kamma and that might lead to the allegation that he is creating Kamma-Reddy division in the bureaucracy and police forces.
“Jagan should not have mentioned the caste of the police officers while lodging a complaint with the EC, but to highlight the aspect that Naidu might misuse certain officers in the elections,” an analyst said.
