VIJAYAWADA: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday summoned DGP RP Thakur to New Delhi and reportedly rapped him for “trying to redefine its jurisdiction” during the recent controversy over the transfer of the Intelligence DG. The summons to the State police chief came a couple of days after Chief Secretary Anil Chandra Punetha was hauled up over the same issue.
Highly-placed sources told TNIE that Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora gave an earful to the DGP, asking how could he defy the ECI orders. The ECI had last week transferred Intelligence DG AB Venkateswara Rao to the police headquarters and relieved him of all poll-related duties.
However, the State government, which first complied with the ECI directive, later took a U-turn and issued another GO cancelling Rao’s transfer. The Chief Secretary, the sources said, had issued the controversial GO following an hour-long meeting with the DGP at the Secretariat.
Referring to this meeting, Arora, it is learnt, told the DGP that the ECI knows he was behind the controversial GO and demanded an explanation from him on what prompted him to advise Punetha to defy the ECI directive — which amounts to redefining the jurisdiction of the poll body. It appears the DGP was also asked about the murder of YSRC leader Vivekananda Reddy and his handling of the case.
It is learnt that the DGP has been asked to stay back to meet the other Election Commissioners on Friday. There is speculation among top police brass that some sort of action might be in the offing against the DGP but a senior officer, on condition of anonymity, told TNIE that he could be let off with a reprimand since the ECI hadn’t taken any concrete action till now despite several complaints.
In a related development, earlier in the day, the DGP, who also holds additional charge of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), has been relieved of it and Director in the ACB, Dr Shanka Brata Bagchi, an officer of the 1996 batch, has been given full additional charge of the post of the Director General, ACB.
“It is an irregular appointment and could be the fallout of the chief secretary’s meeting with the CEC as the latter reportedly enquired about the DGP holding additional charge of the ACB,” a senior police official said.
RP Thakur, who was the DG, ACB before he was made the DGP, had been holding additional charge of the ACB since June 30, 2018. He was made DG, ACB in November, 2016. As per norms, the DG, ACB is a cadre post and Dr Shanka Brata Bagchi is an officer of the IG rank. “It is absolutely incorrect to keep an IG rank officer in charge of DG ACB especially since there are so many DG rank officers in the State,” sources in the police department said, pointing at the nine DG rank officers in AP. Citing the “blatant violation” of norms, another senior officer expressed the hope that the ECI would take corrective action.
ACB DG is a cadre post
RP Thakur, who was the DG, ACB before he was made the DGP, had been holding additional charge of the ACB since June 30, 2018. He was made DG, ACB in November, 2016. As per norms, the DG, ACB is a cadre post and Dr Shanka Brata Bagchi is an officer of the IG rank.