Tirupati MP seeks removal of DIG, two SPs from Civic Poll duty

TIRUPATI: Pressing for a level playing field as the urban local body election process resumes, Tirupati MP Maddila Gurumoorthy has asked the authorities to guarantee police protection for candidates and to remove a DIG and two Superintendents of Police whose conduct, he alleges, undermined the nomination process.

Speaking to The Hans India on his representation to the President, the Governor, the Chief Justice of India, Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission, Union Department of Personnel and Training and the Union Home Secretary, the MP said that he sought a comprehensive and impartial inquiry and action against those found responsible.

Gurumoorthy demanded for impartial monitoring of sensitive locations and swift action against any intimidation once the election process restarts. If violations by the officers are established, he said, corrective and disciplinary steps should follow, including removal from election duties wherever warranted.

The representation named DIG Dr Koya Praveen, Annamayya SP Dheeraj Kanubilli and Kadapa SP Shelke Nachiket Vishwanath. Gurumoorthy has accused them of inaction, bias and failing to prevent violence and the obstruction of candidates during nominations. He wants their election-related duties, postings and supervisory responsibilities examined.

The MP cited the alleged attack on Rajampet MP PV Midhun Reddy at Punganur. He pointed out that YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) candidates could not file even one nomination there. He also asked for an inquiry into complaints of violence, intimidation and obstruction during nominations in Pulivendula, Kamalapuram, Kadapa, Yerraguntla, Rajampet, Rayachoti, Badvel, Mydukur and Proddatur, across Kadapa and Annamayya districts.

Gurumoorthy asked that nomination records from the municipalities of Kamalapuram, Badvel, Rajampet, Yerraguntla and Punganur be examined along with complaints that candidates were stopped from contesting. His letter cites records showing that all 47 valid ward member nominations in Kamalapuram were from the TDP and the BJP, and that all three valid chairperson nominations were from the TDP.

The MP asked whether adequate police personnel were deployed during the nominations, whether effective instructions were given to the district SPs, and whether complaints were attended to promptly. He also sought an inquiry into allegedly derogatory and provocative remarks about Mithun Reddy attributed to Koya Praveen, which reportedly circulated on social media.

Gurumoorthy asked the Supreme Court to examine whether an Election Commission communication dated April 9, 2019, and the State government’s GO Rt No 815 of April 10, 2019, on Koya Praveen’s transfer apply in this case. He sought verification of the officer’s later postings and whether the instructions governing election-related assignments were followed.

As part of an independent probe into the incidents and the officers’ conduct, the MP called for CCTV footage, video recordings, complaints, FIRs, police deployment records and duty rosters to be preserved and examined.

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Pradeep Vennelakanti

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