On April 6th, members of the Andhra Pradesh IPS Officers’ Association met the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the state, Mr. Mukesh Kumar Meena (1998 batch IAS officer) and submitted a complaint stating that some politicians and a few media organisations complicit with them had been targeting these IPS officers by lodging baseless allegations against their names. According to the IPS Officers’ Association, more than 30 IPS officers across the state had been suffering under an allegedly “orchestrated propaganda” made with political motives.
These politicians were allegedly making bogus allegations against the State Director-General of Police (DGP), Additional DGP (Intelligence), Inspector-General of Police (IGP), and Superintendents of Police of Nellore and Kurnool districts in nexus with the Prime Minister’s campaigning in the state.
A leader of the IPS Officers’ Association said, “The political leaders and other vested groups are trying to influence the ECI with false allegations. We request the Election Commission to take appropriate measures in curbing such malicious propaganda against the police officers.”
They even alleged that many media organisations had been targeting these bureaucrats appointed by the ECI even before the officers reported their new postings, which subsequently proved their prejudiced attitude. According to these officers, the comments uttered by the political parties in various public forums, in some television debates and interviews, had been deeply hurting their reputation and pushing them into a defensive mindset.
