BJP seeks deployment of central forces in Dubbaka

Dubbaka: The State BJP leaders on Thursday urged the Election Commission's newly-appointed observer for law and order for the Dubbaka bypoll, Saroj Kumar Thakur, to deploy the central forces for free and fair elections.

A BJP delegation led by party national executive member Nallu Indrasena Reddy, former MP and party Dubbaka Assembly constituency election in-charge A P Jithender Reddy and BJP election cell in-charge K Anthony Reddy met the EC officials and submitted a representation.

The BJP delegation narrated in their representation how the State government and Minister T Harish Rao have been acting in an undemocratic way, and the local police toeing their line.

The BJP leaders alleged that the police were not taking any independent decisions rather acting at the instance of Harish Rao.

That apart, the police have also been threatening the parents of the BJP Youth activists warning that they would not get old-age pension and other State government scheme benefits if their children continue to campaign for the BJP candidate.

The delegation has also apprised the EC observer of the way the Siddipet police have resorted to illegal recourse on October 26. Also, how they have treated BJP State president and Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar travelling from Karimnagar to Dubbaka to inquire about the raids of police in Siddipet on the houses of the party contestant Raghunandan Rao, and how they misbehaved with the family members and relatives of Rao during the raids.

They also alleged that the Siddipet police have caused injuries to party contestant and party Chinnakodurm Mandal president Pitla Parashuram.

The party leaders complained against Siddipet Commissioner of Police Joel Davis on whose instructions, the police present there "had throttled and strangled Sanjay with an intension to kill him. It was only when Bandi Sanjay cried in sheer pain and shouted loudly then the police released him from their clutches and his gunmen came to his rescue," they added.

Then, the MP was escorted by the police inspectors to Karimnagar and he was not even allowed to have water, they alleged. Similarly, they also briefed in their representation how the police had conducted raids and arrested former MPs Jitender Reddy and Vivek Venkata Swamy, the star campaigners of the party and took them to Hyderabad, besides seizing their cell phones.

They alleged that the Telangana police were acting in an undemocratic way, terrorising the activists of BJP and not allowing them to campaign for polls.

"If the same situation continues, then there will not be a free and fair election in Dubbaka Assembly Constituency," they said, urging the official to take immediate action against erring police officers, besides deployment of central forces.