Andhra Pradesh police to stage a ‘comeback’

Hyderabad: With the bonhomie between the Chief Ministers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in full bloom at the moment, top police officials from Andhra Pradesh including Director-General of Police D. Gautam Sawang will be visiting their office in Hyderabad more frequently and hold meetings, not only with their own officers but also with those from Telangana over issues that require coordination between the two states.

After the old office of the Andhra Pradesh DGP at Lakdikapul was vacated and handed over to the Telangana state government recently, the AP DGP will now function (when in Hyderabad) from the building at AC Guards, which previously used to serve as the AP CID office.

Not only the DGP, one floor each in the building has been allotted to the AP Intelligence wing and the Crime Investigation Department (CID). Restoration works have commenced to give the office a facelift. In undivided AP the building was used by the CID.

“It is essential and in the best interest of the police of both states to work in close coordination with each other. Therefore, our officers will be regularly in the Hyderabad office where we can have meetings with our own officials and also have coordination meetings with the Telangana state police,” a senior officer requesting anonymity said

“Earlier, the police of both states looked at each other with suspicion but not anymore. We can now work together and share information about crime and criminals which will be helpful to both states,” he said.

When the state was bifurcated, the AP DGP was temporarily functioning from the building at Lakdikapul, right next to the Telangana state Intelligence office. Besides being present in Amaravati on most days, the first AP DGP, Mr J.V. Ramudu, used to regularly visit the Hyderabad office. Once the cash-for-vote scam surfaced, serious differences cropped up between the Chandrababu Naidu government in AP and the TRS in Telangana state and AP police mostly confined themselves to Amaravati.

Thereafter, the police of the two states clashed over the control of the Nagarjunasagar tail pond. As bitter rivalry continued between Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, the Telangana government has often accused the AP police of spying in the state. In fact, during the state elections, a personnel from the AP Intelligence wing was even caught in Karim-nagar district which led to a war of words between leaders of both states.

After Mr Ramudu, successors N. Sambasiva Rao and R.P. Thakur mostly operated from Amaravati and the building at Lakdikapul lay vacant, except for the presence of a few constables who were guarding it.