The Election Commission on Wednesday ordered the transfer of the police officer who directed the arrest of Telangana Congress Committee Working President Revanth Reddy the previous day. Reddy was arrested after he asked people to boycott Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s rally in Kodangal and organise a protest. He was released in the evening after Rao’s rally.
The poll body transferred Vikarabad Superintendent of Police T Annapurna, hours after the Hyderabad High Court asked the Telangana Rashtra Samithi government to explain why Reddy was arrested, The News Minute reported. The Election Commission replaced her with Indian Police Service officer Avinash Mohanty.
“T Annapurna IPS is hereby directed to hand over the charge to Avinash Mohanty immediately and shall report to her headquarters,” a notice by the poll body said. “It is also directed that the services of Smt Annapurna IPS shall not be utilised for election purposes.”
The Congress had condemned the arrest and filed a complaint with the poll body. “The Telangana Rashtra Samithi cannot stop a Congress wave with arrests,” Congress President Rahul Gandhi tweeted. “Revanth Reddy’s arrest is the pinnacle of K Chandrasekhar Rao’s dictatorship.”
Reddy had filed a motion in the High Court against his arrest. The court observed that there was nothing wrong in the Congress leader asking people to boycott Rao’s rally and organise a protest.
The Telangana Assembly elections will be held on December 7, and the results announced on December 11.
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