No AP Police In City, Telangana DGP Tells Governor

Taking serious objection to the deployment of Andhra Pradesh police personnel in Hyderabad, Telangana State Director General of Police Anurag Sharma today warned that he would withdraw police protection to all political leaders of Andhra Pradesh.

Towards this end, Sharma called on Governor E S L Narasimhan on Tuesday and complained against the presence of AP police in the State capital.

During his meeting with the Governor, the Telangana police chief made it clear to Narasimhan that providing security to the people's representatives and maintaining law and order in Hyderabad was the duty of the Telangana police personnel only.

This was in the context of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu taking the controversial decision of deploying AP police personnel at his residence.

The DGP threatened to withdraw police protection to all AP political leaders, including people's representatives, if this was the case.

The Telangana police top brass are also contemplating action against the AP Director General of Police for his needless adventurism in Hyderabad, and are consulting legal luminaries in this connection.

Some legal experts opined that the deployment of AP police in Telangana's capital was totally against Section 8 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. The deployment of AP police in Telangana and interference in the affairs of Telangana amounted to gross violation of the AP Reorganisation Act, they felt, pointing out that Section 8 of the Act clearly stated that police and officials of Andhra Pradesh had no power and jurisdiction in Telangana.

They also said that the police of one state cannot work in another state as it was totally against the spirit of the Constitution.

According to high-placed police officials, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and DGP Anurag Sharma are planning to initiate action against this.

"Will the neighboring Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra governments keep quiet if our police personnel are deployed in those states? How can Andhra Pradesh police enter our State and boss over us," senior officials asked.

"The responsibility of maintaining law and order in Telangana is only ours only," they contended. (NSS)