Amaravati, Sept 22: A police inspector in Andhra Pradesh caused a flutter by threatening to cut off tongues of elected representatives if they spoke in a manner hurting the morale of the force, targeting a ruling TDP MP who hit back at him and lodged a complaint.
“We have so far observed restraint. Henceforth, if anybody talks against the police beyond the limits, we will not tolerate. We will cut their tongues. Be careful,” inspector Madhav of Kadiri in Anantapuramu district warned at a press conference on Friday.
In a sharp reaction, MP JC Diwakar Reddy dared the inspector to tell him where he should come to get his tongue cut. He later filed a complaint against the inspector but no FIR has been registered so far, according to Tadipatri sub-divisional police officer Vijaya Kumar.
The heated exchange of words came in the backdrop of a group clash in a village near Tadipatri earlier this week with Reddy alleging that police fled the scene like eunuchs, unable to bring the situation under control.
Police authorities remained tight-lipped over the verbal duel even as the TDP MP said he would draw the attention of the government seeking necessary action against the inspector.
Referring to the clash, Reddy said even he had to run away (to protect himself) “as the police started fleeing”. “In that respect, I too behaved like a eunuch”, the MP, known for making controversial outbursts, said. Later in the evening, he went to the police station in his hometown Tadipatri and filed a complaint against the inspector for making threatening remarks against an MP and challenging him openly.
"It’s a non-cognisable offence under Section 506 of IPC (criminal intimidation). We have referred the complaint to the district SP and are also seeking legal opinion. We have so far not registered an FIR, the Tadipatri SDPO said.
Taking strong exception to the MP's remarks, inspector Madhav said police personnel were unable to show their faces, even to their wives and children, because of the comments being made by political leaders. “All parties MPs, MLAs, ex-MPs and ex-MLAs have been talking against the police, hurting our morale. We came into the police force as men and not eunuchs,” the inspector said.
A senior police official maintained that it was improper for an officer to make such public comments against peoples’ representatives, whatever be the provocation.
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