Hyderabad: The BJP State unit on Tuesday urged the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) to direct the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct an inquiry into the incidents that occurred in Siddipet on Monday and also to appoint a police observer to oversee the Dubbak by-poll. The BJP also demanded the suspension of Siddipet Commissioner of Police D Joel Davis.
A delegation led by BJP National Executive Member Nallu Indrasena Reddy and MLC N Ramachander Rao submitted a memorandum to CEO Shashank Goel and demanded transfer of ‘erring’ revenue officials and deployment of Central forces for the conduct of free and fair election in Dubbak. In the three page memorandum, the BJP alleged that the State government had totally misused the police machinery and revenue officials to raid the house of a relative of BJP candidate M Raghunandan Rao.
The BJP also pointed out that the party’s star campaigner and State Chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar was prevented from entering Siddipet and he was pushed into a car before being shifted to Karimnagar. “A clear attempt was made to kill Bandi Sanjay Kumar and a video is attached,” the memorandum said.
On the other hand, police tightened security at the State BJP office here on Tuesday following the Siddipet incidents. Considering the call given by the party to protest against the alleged high-handedness of police against Sanjay Kumar, police restricted senior party leaders to their homes all over the State. With BJP activists resorting to burning of effigies of Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao and the party calling for a march to Pragathi Bhavan, police restricted the movement of Nizamabad MP Dharmapuri Arvind, former MP Vivek and MLC Ramachander Rao. Security at Pragathi Bhavan was also tightened following the call given by the BJP.
Meanwhile, the saffron party’s chief spokesperson K. Krishna Sagar Rao, in a statement, said that police were harassing Raghunandan Rao by not allowing him to have a level playing field in the by-election. “How can police raids override the rights of the candidate’s family members and restrain them from making even phone calls? Are the police working for the SEC or TRS? Who are they trying to please?“ he questioned.
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