Hyderabad: He was an “unwanted” guest in Andhra Pradesh. While the ruling TD was opposed to the visit of this former senior IPS officer and even wrote to the Election Commission (EC), the camaraderie between the top brass of the Andhra Pradesh police and this retired IPS officer appeared missing initially, something unusual since all of them come from the same IPS fraternity.
But Tuesday was very different. Outside, as the TD continued to target the Election Commission vis-a vis Prime Minister Narendra Modi, inside the peaceful environs of the Andhra Pradesh police headquarters, the bonhomie between Director General of Police R.P. Thakur and EC-appointed special police observer and former super cop K.K. Sharma, was in full display, just as the hectic campaigning for the most bitterly fought elections came to an end.
Not only did the two have a nearly two-hour closed-door meeting, what came as a surprise to many in the IPS fraternity was when Mr Thakur invited and escorted Mr Sharma to plant a tree in the lawns, which he accepted — a message which if decoded would mean that the AP police seems to have finally, fallen in line with the Election Commission.
Sources told DC that Mr Sharma, who earlier served as Director General of the Border Security Force during the heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, was received by Mr Thakur at his office this morning. Both hugged each other, though some officials present there said that their body language indicated a sort of uneasiness.
This was Mr Sharma’s first visit to the police headquarters and Mr Thakur took him around the office after which he requested that the observer plant the tree and escorted him to the lawns. Subsequently, both had a closed door meeting in which Additional DGP Law and Order Dr Ravishanker Ayyanar, Additional DG, Provisions and Logistics, Harish Gupta and DIG Ghatamaneni Srinivas were present.
They are understood to have discussed a host of issues pertaining to police deployment for the polls.
On Monday night, Dr Ayyanar had a long meeting with Mr Sharma at his hotel in Vijayawada. The only other regular visitor to Mr Sharma’s hotel was Intelligence Bureau joint director Chandrasekhar.
Mr Sharma, a retired IPS officer of the 1982 batch of the Rajasthan cadre, was first posted as special police observer of West Bengal but had to be shifted to AP after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee questioned his credentials saying he had links with the RSS.
As DG, BSF, Mr Sharma stirred a massive row when he took part in a two-day event organised by the Seemanta Chetana Manch, part of the RSS-backed Seema Jagran Manch, a pan-India body which claims to instil patriotism in the border areas. Mr Sharma had attended the event in uniform.
Taking a cue from West Bengal, the TD wrote to the EC seeking Mr Sharma’s removal as the special police observer for AP.
