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Cops go on the rampage over SP's transfer

Stick-wielding policemen went on the rampage, attacking public property in Karimnagar, Andhra Pradesh, late last night in protest against Superintendent of Police C Umesh Chandra's transfer as assistant inspector general of police (welfare and sports).

The violence, which started at around 2100 hours, continued well past midnight with groups of policemen attacking vehicles and passers-by. Nearly 50 vehicles including Andhra Pradesh Road Transport Corporation buses, were damaged. The RTC withdrew its fleet of buses, leaving many people stranded.

Following the incident, Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu suspended Umesh Chandra.

Naidu made the announcement when he, along with Home Minister A Madhava Reddy, visited the town.

He told the media that stern action would be taken against those involved in the incidents.

The district police, in a statement, earlier warned the state government of mass suicides if Umesh Chandra's transfer was not revoked. They condemned the government's action of transferring a 'honest and efficient' officer and faulted the government for yielding to the pressure of some ruling Telugu Desam Party legislators who were unhappy with the SP's 'unbiased' functioning.

There were similar demonstrations by policemen when Umesh Chandra was transferred as Cuddapah district police superintendent last year, police sources said.

The policemen ransacked the office of Vaartha,a leading bilingual daily and damaged the entire communication and computer systems. Some vehicles parked outside the newspaper office were also damaged, eyewitnesses said.

They also attacked the residences of Telugu Desam Party leader and zilla parishad chairman G Rajesham Goud, former district TDP president G Venkateswara Rao and Karimnagar TDP legislator J Chandrasekhara Rao. Venkateswara Rao's house was ransacked and a vehicle parked outside was torched.

A curfew-like situation prevailed in the town with people confining themselves to their homes and shopkeepers downing their shutters.

Eyewitnesses said policemen, mostly in plainclothes, laid their hands on whatever came their way. The stone-throwing policemen stormed a cinema hall and attacked some people. The roads were littered with stones and empty bottles and tyres of several vehciles were deflated.

UNI

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