Intense pressure for gunmen on Home Department

Amaravati: Growing requests seeking beefing up security from politicians is putting tremendous pressure on the Home department in the State.

MLAs of ruling and opposition parties, chairmen for various State-level corporations and political leaders have shot letters to Home Minister N Chinarajappa and intelligence wing requesting to allot gunmen. The Home Department reportedly turned down requests of some leaders after receiving clear instructions from the Chief Minister.

Highlights:

• MLAs of ruling and opposition parties and chairmen of State-level corporations seeking gunmen
• Around 10 MLAs of the TDP reportedly sent their requests for gunmen to Intelligence wing through Home Minister
• However, Home Department sources say only pleas from MLAs residing in Agency areas and where the threat from Left wing forces is high
• Final decision will be taken by the Security Review Committee based on the threat perception report submitted by local police officials

Recently, ruling party MLA Vallabhaneni Vamsi Mohan, who represents Gannavaram constituency in Krishna district, surrendered his gunmen to government expressing his displeasure over the government not beefing up his security despite his repeated pleas during the last three years.

According to sources, around 10 MLAs of the TDP sent requests to Intelligence wing through Home Minister Chinarajappa recently and some other MLAs and TDP leaders made direct requests to the Intelligence Director General A B Venkateswara Rao seeking 2+2 gunmen security. The MLAs also frequently visited Home Minister’s chamber often to know the status of their requests.

“We are allotting 2+2 gunmen to the MLAs and some leaders residing in Agency areas only where threat from the Left wing forces is high and considering requests received from faction affected areas in Rayalaseema,” said a senior official of the Home Department. The requests multiplied after the State government filled up chairman posts for various departments recently.

The newly appointed chairmen are putting forth demands before the Home Department to allot gunmen to them. Civil Supplies Corporation chairman Linga Reddy, Tirupati Urban Development Authority chairman, Handicapped Corporation chairman and some others are among those who made requests to the government to allot gunmen. “Chairmen of almost all the corporations are seeking allotment of gunmen,” said another official of the Home Department.

The official on condition of anonymity said Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu gave clear instructions that corporations’ chairmen would not be given gunmen. However, the refusal or non-response of State government on applications is creating controversy. Gannavaram MLA Vamsi Mohan, who requested allotment of 2+2 security, surrendered his gunmen to the government a week ago.

He pointed out that the government was non-responsive even as he made several requests during the past three years.
A source of Home Department said the government was not interested in increasing security to Vamsi Mohan and TDP leadership has doubts about his political decisions in the next elections.

The sources in the department said Security Review Committee (SRC) takes decision on beefing up security to any person in the State based on threat perception report (TPR) which is sent by district or city police authority.

“Our department rejected or put in abeyance requests of several MLAs, MPs, chairmen of various corporations, and political party leaders. Due to scarcity of gunmen, it will not be possible to allot 2+2 gunmen to some MLAs. Besides, some of the leaders are not facing any threats from anyone.

They consider the gunmen as a status symbol,” an official said. “If we change gunmen for every month, the leaders will not ask for gunmen,” Home Department official said. Meanwhile, An MLA of YSR Congress from Anantapur district alleged that the State government was allotting gunmen to lower cadre leaders of ruling party but turned down the requests of Opposition.

“I requested government to increase my security two years ago due to severe threat from political rivals. But there is no response from the government and instead my political rivals who are accused in a murder case were given security,” the Opposition legislator alleged.

YSR Congress leaders and some MLAs also in Kurnool, Anantapur, Chittoor and Kadapa districts are facing threat from political rivals. The fear increased following murder of Cherukulapadu Narayana Reddy in Kurnool district, he said.

By K Varaprasada Rao