Khammam: DCCB director’s arrest an act of political vengeance, says BRS

BRS district president MLC Tata Madhusudhan, former MLAs Kandala Upender Reddy and Sandra Venkata Veeraiah strongly condemned the arrest of DCCB director Inturi Shekhar Rao during the late night hours on Wednesday

Khammam: Congress leaders in the district were resorting to cheap, politics of vengeance using police, BRS leaders said on Thursday.

BRS district president MLC Tata Madhusudhan, former MLAs Kandala Upender Reddy and Sandra Venkata Veeraiah strongly condemned the arrest of DCCB director Inturi Shekhar Rao during the late night hours on Wednesday. Speaking to the media here on Thursday, Madhusudhan found fault with police in mufti clothes arresting the DCCB director during mid-night hours in a private vehicle covering its number plate with a cloth. The director was taken to different police stations and finally to Nelakondapalli police station, he said.

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He said the police have not given notice to the director prior to the arrest and had not given a reason for his arrest. Three former trust board members of Jeellacheruvu Venkateswara Swamy Temple were also arrested. One of them, who happened to be a dalit, was abused by an SI using vulgar language.An FIR was prepared after a protest was staged at Nelakondapalli police station, they said, also alleging that the complaint based on which he was arrested was lodged by Endowment Assistant Commissioner K Sulochana on Thursday. The Congress leaders were targetting those who worked actively for Palair former MLA Upender Reddy during the Assembly elections, they said.

The charges of illegal mining of gravel from Jeellcheruvu temple lands levelled against Shekhar Rao were baseless as the EE (Irrigation) had given approval to a construction company for excavating gravel for national highway construction. The district Collector also held a meeting for the purpose, Madhusudhan noted.

He asked the officers to work as per law and not to serve the interests of the ruling party leaders. The MLC stated that the Congress leaders were more focused on GO 59 beneficiaries instead of development. He demanded the Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy to set up a fact finding committee to announce a list of persons and elected representatives who regularised government lands through the GO. He also wanted the elected representatives in the district who regularised government lands using the GO to give it back to the government. Ex-MLA Veeraiah noted that if mining of gravel was illegal, the officials have to book cases against national highways authorities and the construction company. Upender Reddy stated that Shekhar Rao was falsely booked by the police.