Cops dance to Telangana govt tune

Dharna Chowk drama

​Hyderabad: In an apparent attempt to please political bosses, a couple of officials in the intelligence department in association with a couple of officials in the city police have reportedly orchestrated pro-government demonstration at Dharna Chowk on Monday.

The handful of officials reportedly went to the extent of deputing some police personnel in plainclothes to take part in the pro-government protest leading to sharp criticism from all corners after videos and pictures of the police personnel in plainclothes holding placards emerged.

Lake Police Inspector K Sridevi was one of the police personnel among the pro-government demonstrators. Following criticism, her services were withdrawn from Lake Police and attached to the central zone control room.

However, sources in the police department said the pro-government demonstration was orchestrated by a handful of officials in the intelligence wing and the city police.

Senior Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao and CPI city council secretary E T Narsimha said that it was unfortunate that the police had sent women officers in mufti as protestors. Now they were trying to make those officers scapegoats.

Ever since the Telangana government decided to shift the venue for protests to the outskirts of the city citing law and order problems, there have been protests against the decision.

Some groups who are not in favour of shifting have even approached the High Court against the decision. But the ‘morning walkers group’ or the ‘locals’ were never in the picture.

The police never made a mention that either the walkers or the locals wanted the Dharna Chowk to be shifted, the sources said.

Further, the city police never gave permission to any one after March to hold protest at Dharna Chowk. Suddenly, the walkers group and locals came into the picture a few weeks ago and the police permitted both the groups – the group that wants shifting of Dharna Chowk and the groups that have been protesting against shifting of Dharna Chowk – to stage protests on the same day which gives rise to suspicion, sources said.

Granting permission to two opposite groups to hold protests on the same day at Dharna Chowk and compelling some lower level officials to take part in the pro-government demonstration in plain clothes lends credence to the theory that it was orchestrated by the police department itself, the sources said.

The sources said had local TRS leaders succeeded in mobilising local people demanding shifting of Dharna Chowk in large numbers, the police personnel in plain clothes would have remained backstage.
However, all the senior officers are tightlipped over the issue.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Central Zone, Joel Davis, who had no role in the plan, had to issue a release as a cover up.

The release said that police personnel in plain clothes were deployed at Dharna Chowk on Monday since two protest programmes were organised.

Lake Police Inspector Sridevi was also drafted for surveillance duty to watch over any anti-social elements at Dharna Chowk.

“It has come to our notice that during the bandobust Inspector Sridevi, was found holding a placard among the protestors. An inquiry has been ordered for taking further action in this regard.

Pending inquiry she has been withdrawn from the duties of Lake Police with immediate effect and attached to the Central Zone Control Room,” the DCP said.

However, Home Minister Naini Narasimha Reddy on Monday said that one of the protestors demanding shifting of the Dharna Chowk had handed over a placard to Sridevi before leaving the venue and that she was only holding it. She was not part of the protestors, told reporters.