Some security this! Even Assembly is not safe

• Mentally deranged man enters AP Assembly Hall and parks there for one hour
• Solar fencing apparently not working
• Over dozen CCTVs there, but no centralised monitoring system
• Assembly has three-tier security system and is manned by SPF

Hyderabad: Solar fencing, over dozen CCTVs, three tier security system manned by local police and Special Protection Force did not prevent a 35-year-old man from entering the Andhra Pradesh Assembly premises and damage the main door of the Assembly Hall before entering it.

According to police, the man who breached the security has been identified as Ashok Reddy, a mentally deranged and belonging to Parsa mandal of Warangal district. He stays in one of the slums in Banjara Hills. His wife is working as a housemaid. It is also said that Ashok Reddy was former employee of the Assembly. He not only entered the main hall of the Assembly but also sat inside the hall for about an hour before he was noticed by the security personnel.

According to his family members, he has been undergoing treatment for abnormal behavior which he is reportedly suffering for the past few months. He was taken to a hospital for checkup on Tuesday evening, his wife told the police. According to her, Reddy was not seen in the house after 5 am today.

The police led by DCP Central Zone V B Kamalasan Reddy arrested the man and kept questioning him in the same building for several hours before taking him to Saifabad police station. Later the police booked cases under IPC 447, 427 and Section 3 of PPDA (Public Properties Damage Act) and trespassing. Police are also examining the CCTV footage to find out the details of how the man managed to enter the high security area and what was the security staff doing.

As the incident exposed serious loopholes in the Assembly premises, the Speakers of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Assembly have taken serious note of the issue and have asked the police to file a detailed report on the breach of security and identify the people responsible for it immediately.

It may be mentioned here that the both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments are planning to hold their budget session in August and such an incident just before the session has raised many a questions on the claims of foolproof security.

Meanwhile, police said that they had so far identified four constables who were on sentry duty at that time and are likely to initiate action against them. The commandant of SPF also submitted a report to DGP SPF on the breach of security. A complete revamp of the security personnel is said to be on the cards.

Congress MLC Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy, who visited the Assembly, said that the Speakers of both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Assembly and Governor ESL Narasimhan should take serious note of the incident. He himself touched the solar fencing to prove to the media that it was not in working condition.

But TRS MLA S Ramalinga Reddy feels that the door of the AP Assembly might have been damaged when the workers took furniture inside the hall.