The attempts of certain political leaders to control one particular police circle, spread over three Assembly constituencies, has split the police circle into three parts under the Khammam Police Commissionerate in the district.
Published Date – 31 August 2024, 11:00 PM
Khammam: The attempts of certain political leaders to control one particular police circle, spread over three Assembly constituencies, has split the police circle into three parts under the Khammam Police Commissionerate in the district.
The Khammam Rural circle police station adjacent to Khammam city is located in Palair constituency in Khammam Rural Sub-division. Along with the rural police station, Raghunathapalem police station in Khammam constituency and Mudigonda police station in Madhira constituency too used to be under the same circle.
It is said that Palair MLA Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy had a say in the posting of its Inspector of Police and other related matters. This reportedly turned into a problem for the MLAs in other two constituencies – Tummala Nageshwar Rao and Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka. In order to solve the issue, it is learned that the MLAs prevailed upon the police department to create two separate police stations with Inspector of Police ranked Station House Officers (SHOs).
As per departmental norms, SHO police stations in rural areas would be headed by a cop with the rank of Sub-Inspector of Police. SHOs with CI ranked officers would be usually set up in urban areas. But the norms were tweaked here to suit the Ministers’ demands.
Prior to the 2023 Assembly elections, Raghunathapalem SHO police station was created and was brought under the purview of Khammam town sub-division from the rural sub-division. With political frictions within the Congress heating up post the Assembly elections, Mudigonda SHO in Khammam rural sub-division was created appointing a CI recently thus dividing the rural circle into three parts for the convenience of the Ministers.
New Madhira police sub-division proposed
Meanwhile, the Commissionerate authorities have recently submitted proposals to the DGP to constitute a new police sub-division with Madhira, Bhatti Vikramarka’s constituency, as its headquarters. At present there are four sub-divisions, Khammam town, Khammam rural, Wyra and Kallur. It was proposed to bring Madhira town, Madhira rural, Yerrupalem, Bonakal and Chintakani police stations in Wyra sub-division and Mudigonda police station in Khammam rural sub-division under the proposed Madhira sub-division.
Similarly, proposals to set up new SHO police stations at Subled in Thirumalayapalem mandal and at M Venkatayapalem in Khammam rural mandal besides reorganising police stations under different police sub-divisions were also made.