Three IPS officers in Andhra Pradesh, one of Director-General rank, another Inspector General and a third of Superintendent rank, have been suspended following the complaint of a Mumbai-based actress, alleging her illegal arrest and detention. P S R Anjaneyulu (DG Rank), Kanthi Rana Tata (IG Rank) and Vishal Gunni (SP Rank) are the three senior officers who have been suspended.
Kadambari Jethwani, a Mumbai-based actor, complained about being harassed by the Andhra Pradesh police during the rule of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's government on the complaint of a YSR Congress leader who had accused her of scamming him in a land-related case. The actor and her family members were arrested earlier this year.
She accused the police officials of threatening her with dire consequences during the previous government if she did not withdraw a case she earlier filed against a top executive of a corporation in Mumbai. The Bombay High Court earlier ordered a case be filed against the top executive alleging sexual harassment and criminal intimidation, but a closure report was filed in the case on February 12 because the actor did not appear to state the case between February 5 and 9 because she had been arrested and brought to Andhra Pradesh.
NDTV spoke to Kadambari Jethwani, who alleged a political conspiracy behind her illegal arrest and harassment.
Ms Jethwani says between Feb 5 and 9 she was to record her statement in the case but she was taken away on Feb 2, along with her family members, from Mumbai to Vijayawada.
"I did not make my statement and the FIR was closed because of my non-appearance in the case," she says, alleging that the corporate executive had influenced the then-political leadership of Andhra Pradesh, to get her arrested and to erode her credibility in the public domain. "They indulged in character assassination because I had dared to complain," she told NDTV.
The Andhra Pradesh police probed the allegations and issued orders of suspension against the 1992, 2004 and 2010 batch officers, alleging procedural lapses, dereliction of duty and misconduct. The officers were suspended under Rule 3 (1) of the All India Services (Discipline & Appeal) Rules, 1969.
P S R Anjaneyulu, who was a state intelligence chief back then, has been charged with calling over Kanthi Rana Tata and Vishal Gunni and directing the arrest of the actress on January 31, even before the FIR was booked on February 2. The suspension order says Mr Anjaneyulu is accused of abusing his authority and official position, to fast-track the investigation without adequate scrutiny, which the order says is "connivance and misuse of power". The order states the act of Anjaneyulu amounts to grave misconduct, misuse of official position and dereliction of duty.
Kanthi Rana Tata, the former Vijayawada commissioner, has been charged with failing to properly supervise the investigation and issuing orders for arresting the actress on oral instructions from his superior on January 31 even before the FIR was filed two days later.
He had reportedly ordered the booking of tickets for the police officers to fly to Mumbai for the arrest just an hour after the FIR, without proper written orders or due diligence.
Vishal Gunni has been charged with failing to thoroughly examine the complaint before arresting the actress. He had travelled to Mumbai on February 2 for the arrest without a proper written order and had acted on oral instructions from his superiors. The officer arrested the actress shortly after the FIR was filed without giving them adequate opportunity to explain.
On Friday, the actor registered a complaint in the Ibrahimpatnam district police station alleging that a false case was booked against her.
Police registered a case against the YSR Congress leader and others under various sections of the criminal code and called for a detailed probe.
Additionally two police officers - former West Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) K Hanumantha Rao and former Ibrahimpatnam inspector M Satyanarayana - have already been suspended in the case.
P.S.R.Anjaneyulu, former Vijayawada commissioner, Kanthi Rana Tata, and former DCP Vishal Gunni are among 16 officers who had been asked to report at the DGP office without being given any posting after the new NDA government assumed power in Andhra Pradesh.
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