VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh government has appointed Kasireddy Rajendranath Reddy, the current Chief of Intelligence, as the state’s new Director General of Police. Rajendranath, a 1992 batch IPS officer, will remain the intelligence chief while taking over full responsibility as DGP.
The new DGP comes in place of Gautam Sawang, who has been asked to report to GAD. A 1986 IPS officer, Sawang is scheduled to retire only in July 2023.
Rajendranath Reddy had earlier worked as DCP East Zone, Hyderabad; SP, Vijayawada Railways; and police commissioner, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam at different times. He had also served as Director General of Vigilance and Enforcement, and ex-officio Principal Secretary (GAD) before being appointed as intelligence chief.
A soft-spoken person, he has dealt with several high-profile cases including ESI scam, Vijayawada Vyshnavi murder case, and alleged irregularities committed during TDP regime. He is a recipient of President's Medal Award in 2020 for meritorious service.
Meanwhile, Telugu Desam has accused Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy of adopting use-and-throw policy of which Gautam Sawang is the latest victim. TDP politburo member Varla Ramaiah recalled that CM Jagan had similarly replaced IAS officials L.V. Subramanyam, Praveen Prakash, Ajay Kallam and P.V. Ramesh.
The opposition leader pointed out that though Gautam Sawang had worked dedicatedly for CM Jagan, he is now facing the bitter experience of being transferred without posting.
Jana Sena founder K. Pawan Kalyan expressed suspicion over the sudden transfer. He felt it could be because of the successful rally that government employees managed to organise at Vijayawada. He demanded that the state government explain why Gautam Sawang has been suddenly transferred.
