ASP charges SP with attempt to murder, links with smugglers
Naveen Kumar has alleged that he was facing threat to his life
Hyderabad: In a bizarre development, highlighting the sorry state of affairs in the state police force, a police officer has charged his senior with having links with the Ganja smugglers, attempt to kill him and several other irregularities.
Assistant superintendent of police Dr Naveen Kumar of Rampachodavaram has lodged four criminal cases against his senior, the East Godavari district superintendent of police Trivikrama Verma creating a sensation in the higher echelons of the police.
Naveen Kumar, a 2008 batch IPS officer, has alleged that he was facing threat to his life from his senior who had links with the Ganja smugglers as he was unhappy with his driver against the smugglers.
Naveen Kumar also alleged that an attempt was made to kill him by loosening the steering wheel of his vehicle but he was not travelling when the vehicle met with a mishap.
The four cases registered at the Rampachodavaram police station against the SP Verma include criminal intimidation, attempt to murder, obstructing the duties of public servants and misuse of official position.
Responding to the allegations of the ASP, the state government has ordered a high level probe in to the matter. The state home minister P Sabita Indra Reddy ordered a DIG rank officer to look in to the matter and submit a report to the government at the earliest.
Naveen Kumar also alleged that after he intensified his drive against the Ganja smugglers in Rampachodavaram area, and arrested several persons, the SP started threatening him and pressurised him not to deal with the Ganja smuggling cases. “He also demanded the release of some of the people.”
After Naveen Kumar took charge as the ASP of the area, 14 cases of Ganja smuggling were booked three months and the police recovered a haul of 35 kilograms of Ganja. He also alleged that after the Maredamilli police station staff arrested some smugglers and one was injured in an encounter with the police, the SP had threatened the policemen concerned that he will put them behind the bars if they don’t release the arrested persons. Naveen Kumar, for whom this is the second posting after the probation as IPS, went to the extent of saying that he had recorded evidence of the links of the SP with the Ganja smugglers. He is receiving protection money of Rs 1.5 lakh (Dh9,901) from the Ganja smugglers and his driver Basvapunnaiah is collecting the money, Naveen Kumar said.
Naveen Kumar said that Verma had developed the links with the smugglers while serving as the ASP Rampachodavaram in the past.
The tribal area of East Godavari and adjoining Visakhapatanam districts is notorious for the Ganja cultivation and the issue of officials of the police and the forest department have links with the cultivators was raked up many times in the past.
While the SP refused to comment on the issue saying the seniors will look in to it, the DIG, Eluru range Suryaprakash Rao said that he will be able to say something only after going through the complaints.
