Centre yet to ask TRS on violence

Hyderabad: The Centre again got in touch with the state police with regard to a video that purports to show forest officers complaining that they had not received any help from the police.

Other than this, there have been no other questions from the Centre to the government regarding the incident where a woman officer was beaten up.

Mr Sanjiv Gupta, the Union home ministry’s special secretary for Inter-State Council Secretariat (ISCS), held inquiries with DGP M. Mahendar Reddy with regard to the assault on forest range officer Ch. Anitha at Sarsala village of Kagaznagar Range on June 30.

Union environment minister Prakash Javadekar condemned the attack the same day.

No one else has so far questioned the TRS on the issue, given that the attack was led by TRS zilla parishad vice-chairman Koneru Krishna, the brother of party MLA Koneru Konappa. Video evidence has suggested that Konappa orchestrated the attack. Krishna has since resigned from the zilla parishad post.

Mr Gupta reportedly spoke to the DGP on two separate occasions, the first on the day of the assault and again on Tuesday in response to a video which showed women forest officials complaining that the superintendent of police, the deputy SP and inspectors watched as the mob abused, threatened and assaulted the forest officers.

Mr Gupta told this newspaper correspondent that he had got the audio translated to know the contents. He said Mr Mahendar Reddy told him that the district SP wasn’t present at the spot.

“Deputy SP and Inspector of the area had not reached the spot and hence were suspended. Good deterrent action!”, Mr Gupta said over Twitter.

With regard to no one questioning the government, a former bureaucrat said, “In all cases, the communication is between officers. Since it is a law and order issue, the Centre will check with the state police chief. If it is an administrative issue, the matter will be inquired with the Chief Secretary.”

He said officers at the Centre do not hold talks with the Chief Minister. “If the Prime Minister intervenes, the talks will be between the Chief Minister and Prime Minister.”

Though Ms Anitha was in Hyderabad, undergoing treatment at a city hospital that is located a stone throw away from the houses of the state environment minister A. Indrakaran Reddy and home minister Mahmood Ali, they did not pay her a courtesy visit.

No TRS leader put out a message wishing her speedy recovery.