Hyderabad: Huzurabad MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy issued an apology on Friday, January 30, after the Telangana IAS Officers’ Institute condemned his communal statements against Karimnagar Commissioner of Police, Gaush Alam.
Reddy had gotten into a scuffle with the police the previous day while attending a ‘mini Sammakka-Sarakka Jatara’ held in Veenavanka mandal of Karimnagar district.
Earlier in the day, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA had submitted a notice to Telangana Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar seeking a privilege motion against Karimnagar CP, Gaush Alam, Huzurabad Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Madhavi and Jammikunta Rural Inspector Laxmi Narayana.
In the notice, Reddy says he, along with his wife and daughter were restrained by the police while they were proceeding to the Sammakka-Saralamma Temple from his camp office.
He further said that he was “unwarrantedly obstructed in a most humiliating manner” during his visit and was “forcibly removed from the Sammakka Gaddelu” preventing him from offering prayers.
“The conduct of the police officials included unwarranted obstruction, gross disregard to established protocol, and unjustified interference with my movement, without any lawful or reasonable cause. Such actions caused humiliation not only to me as an elected representative but also to my family, and seriously undermined the dignity and authority of the Telangana Legislative Assembly.” the notice stated.
He said that the police’s acts constitute a breach of the privileges conferred upon a Member of the Legislative Assembly and amount to contempt of the House, as they directly obstructed him from discharging his constitutional duties in his own constituency and showed complete disregard to the sanctity of the office of an MLA.
He asked the Speaker to demand an explanation from the aforementioned officials and order an inquiry into their conduct.
Kaushik Reddy had also staged a sit-in on the road while enroute to the Sammakka-Saralamma Temple, chanting “CP Down, Down! Police Down Down!” after police stopped him citing a High Court order that only a limited number of vehicles are permitted to the festival.
IAS Officers’ Institute demands apology
A day after the scuffle, the Telangana IAS Officers’ Institute issued a statement saying Reddy had launched a “personal attack based on religious identity,
involving baseless claims of proselytization” against Commissioner Gaush Alam.
“Such rhetoric is not only factually incorrect but is a direct assault on the secular fabric and professional autonomy of the Indian Police Service,” the statement read.
Kaushik Reddy apologizes
Following the outrage from authorities, the MLA issued an apology video saying that his words were not deliberate but “spilled out unknowingly in frustration and stress”.
“I apologise to anyone whose feelings may have been hurt by my words….some people are deliberately spreading false propaganda regarding this matter….I request everyone to put an end to this controversy,” he said in the video.
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