VIJAYAWADA: In a surprise move, the State government on Tuesday removed DGP D Gautam Sawang and replaced him with KV Rajendranath Reddy, a 1992 batch IPS officer. KVRN Reddy, who is presently DG (Intelligence), will be in full additional charge of the post of DGP until further orders. Sawang was asked to report in the General Administration Department (GAD) for further posting.
Soon after orders removing Sawang were issued by Chief Secretary Sameer Sharma, KVRN Reddy called on Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. A few hours later, Sawang too met Jagan.KVRN Reddy had served as DCP of East Zone in Hyderabad City, DG, Vigilance and Enforcement, and Commissioner of Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam. He was posted as DG (Intelligence) in August 2020. He is due to retire on April 30, 2026.
The government appointed KVRN Reddy in full additional charge of the post of DGP as it has to send a panel of three names to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), which will select one of them for appointment as the DGP. The IPS officers who are eligible for empanelment as the top cop of the State include Ch Dwaraka Tirumala Rao, PSR Anjaneyulu, VSK Kaumudi and AR Anuradha apart from KVRN Reddy. It may be recalled that Jagan picked Sawang, a 1986 batch IPS officer, as the DGP soon after coming to power in the State. He was appointed as the DGP in May, 2019.
His tenure as the DGP was riddled with several ups and downs with the State witnessing Amaravati agitation and also a series of attacks on temples. The opposition TDP was quick to grab the opportunity and not just targeted the government but also Sawang personally by naming his religion. Several TDP leaders were arrested in various cases during Sawang’s tenure. He was asked to appear before the court in several habeas corpus petitions. For Sawang, the success of Operation Parivartana, the initiative to crackdown on ganja smuggling, and also creation of the Special Enforcement Bureau to curb smuggling of sand and liquor, were the bright things in his stint.