Gangster Kotha Das gives Andhra minister the jitters, gets Hyderabad police chief replaced

When gangster Kotha Das went on a rampage in Hyderabad in end-April, he could hardly have realised that he would set in motion a startling chain of events - a jittery Home Minister K. Prabhakar Reddy, asking for a change of portfolio and the city Police Commissioner P.V. Pavithran being replaced.It all started on April 28 when a gang led by Kotha Das, armed with knives and sticks swooped down on Abids, the city's central shopping and business area, at around 8.30 p.m., broke glass panes in cinema halls, raided hotels and a bar before driving off in three Ambassador cars. Coincidentally, the 75-minute hit-and-run operation began with the men taking away liquor bottles from a shop in Malakpet, which lies on the fringe of the city and falls within the home minister's constituency. The manner in which the whole operation was executed not only suggested strongly that the raid was pre-planned, it showed the inability of the city police to intercept a gang of thugs, although a fleet of patrol cars is always supposed to be on the prowl.Pavithran and the city police stayed up all night to track down the alleged culprits. But it was only on April 30 that the police managed to lay their hands on them after a tip-off which led them to a hideout. After the police had given the gang a drubbing, Pavithran gleefully detailed the dramatic swoop to the press. The joy was short-lived, for within hours Pavithran was summoned by the state's Chief Secretary S.R. Ramamurthy and asked to go on leave.Kotha Das (bearded) and his gang in police custody: Startling spin-offsHowever, the pro-Pavithran lobby in the police made a quick counter-move by leaking the startling contents of the interrogation report to the press. According to the report, Das had said that he enjoyed the patronage of the home minister and that his gang supported the minister. When this was published, an agitated Prabhakar Reddy summoned the Director General of Police M.V. Narayana Rao, and directed him to deny the reports.Unprecedented Action: Surprisingly, instead of making a denial or advising the home minister or chief minister to do so at a political level, Narayana Rao complicated matters by convening a press conference to refute Das' claims. While he could have advised Reddy to ignore Das' statement if it was untrue (a confession recorded by a police officer is not valid in court), Narayana Rao said instead that although he was making inquiries about the activities of lawless elements, the home minister had nothing to do with the rowdies. In what appeared a reference to the pro-Pavithran lobby, Narayana Rao observed: "It is also likely that certain officers who are remiss in their duties might have put forward the plea of political interference as an excuse for their failure." He went on to say that the "motives and inducements" behind Das' statement needed to be investigated.The case then took an unexpected turn. At about the same time as the press conference, Deputy Commissioner of Police V. Appa Rao, went to the Chanchalguda central prison - on Narayana Rao's orders - to interrogate Das again. This was an unprecedented action in as much as the case of any detenu under the National Security Act is normally reviewed by an advisory committee and therefore the question of a second interrogation does not arise. Das' second statement contradicted his first.(From left) Pavithran, Reddy and Narayana Rao: A war of attritionNow he alleged that the reference to his link with Reddy was made under duress. In his new statement, Das recounted how S.N. Chenoy, additional deputy commissioner in charge ofanti-goondasquads, had suggested that if he wanted to be let off from prison in two months he should involve Reddy. All this apparently took place behind closed doors, after other investigating officers had been asked to leave the room. If what Das said was true the clear implication was that he had been coerced into implicating the home minister.The question which remained unanswered was why no action had been taken against Chenoy and other investigating officers who had signed the first interrogation report. Reddy told India Today that there was no such interrogation report and that he had once complained about Das' activities to the police. But the minister was evasive when questioned as to how xerox copies of the first interrogation report were in circulation.Complaints: The controversy deepened when Chenoy in an exclusive interview to the Telugu daily Eenadu denied having used coercive tactics. Said he: "It is not for me to decide whether Das should be in jail for two months or two years. I asked the other police officers to leave the room when he began to talk about Prabhakar Reddy. If viewed in sequence, including the deliberations in the legislature, it was an orchestrated campaign to malign Commissioner Pavithran."Pavithran jumped into the fray, reportedly making controversial remarks about legislators and ministers at a public meeting and in an interview to the Samachar Bharati news agency.The issue raged in both houses of the state legislature. There were demands for Reddy's resignation and Narayana Rao and Pavithran's dismissal or suspension. Chief Minister T. Anjiah defending Reddy and Pavithran, ruled out demands for a judicial inquiry, saying it would demoralise the police force. But before the budget session ended, complaints against Pavithran and Chenoy were referred to the Privileges Committee. The press also came in for criticism.Behind the curious twists and turns lies a war of attrition between Pavithran and Reddy on the one hand and Pavithran and Narayana Rao on the other. Both Reddy and Narayana Rao looked askance at Pavithran's direct access to the chief minister. In Reddy's case, the conflict dated back to the time before he had joined the Congress (I) last year, but it was intensified when he became home minister. Pavithran's disapproval of Narayana Rao's interest in city police affairs under his charge didn't do much to help either. So when the local police failed to arrest the miscreants on April 28, Narayana Rao and the home minister recommended to the chief minister that Pavithran be asked to go on leave. This resulted in a divide in the city police The polarisation will, in all likelihood, continue at least until the current shuffle of city police officers is completed. Things may improve after Pavithran is posted to his new assignment and Narayana Rao retires in three months. Perhaps embarrassed at the developments and apprehensive of worse, Reddy has asked for a change of portfolio. With a vacancy resulting from Finance Minister G. Rajaram's death, Anjiah is likely to make some changes and induct a new minister shortly. Ironically kotha in Telugu means new and as a veteran reporter on Hyderabad's crime beat quipped: "Kotha Das as his name suggests is ringing in the new home minister, police commissioner and a reporter too."Published By: AtMigration Published On: Nov 20, 2013 10:21 IST--- ENDS ---

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Gangster Kotha Das gives Andhra minister the jitters, gets Hyderabad police chief replaced

When gangster Kotha Das went on a rampage in Hyderabad in end-April, he could hardly have realised that he would set in motion a startling chain of events - a jittery Home Minister K. Prabhakar Reddy, asking for a change of portfolio and the city Police Commissioner P.V. Pavithran being replaced.

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