Manyam Police Probe Complaint Against Minister’s PA
Forensic analysis underway; SP assures impartial inquiry with no political influence
Visakhapatnam: Police have launched a forensic investigation into involving allegations of sexual harassment and financial exploitation against a person who claims to be a personal assistant (PA) of Tribal Welfare minister Gummidi Sandhya Rani.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, Parvathipuram Manyam district superintendent of police S.V. Madhav Reddy said evidence presented in this regard has been sent for forensic analysis. "We are conducting a comprehensive investigation from all angles. Culprits will be identified and action will be taken against them," the SP assured. He denied any political interference or unilateral action by police.
"We are investigating impartially,” Madhav Reddy maintained.
On November 27, a widow, working as a clerk in the Education department, filed a case against B. Satish, an “unofficial” assistant to Minister Sandhya Rani. She accused him of sexual harassment and extorting money. The woman's husband, who also worked in the Education department, died due to Coronavirus in 2021. She has three children and applied for a government job on compassionate grounds. In the interim, Satish is said to have approached her seeking Rs 5 lakh to pay officials for speeding up her appointment. She reportedly paid him and got a clerk job in December 2021.
The woman alleged that later, she discovered Satish had never paid any officials but had pocketed the money. She confronted him and asked him to return the money, which angered him. Subsequently, after Sandhya Rani became minister, Satish allegedly started harassing her, used abusive language and touched her inappropriately. His friends also started visiting her house to harass her. Following this, the woman filed a complaint at the Salur Police Station on November 27, charging that Satish came to her house drunk late at night, asking her to spend time with him. The woman, in her complaint, said when she went to the minister seeking justice, the minister allegedly abused her in front of 30 people and threatened to dismiss her from her job.
