Pithapuram Municipal Chief, DEE Clash at Council Meeting; DEE Suspended
Kakinada: A heated altercation broke out between Pithapuram municipal commissioner N. Kanaka Rao and deputy executive engineer (DEE) S. Bhavani Shankar during a Pithapuram Municipal Council meeting. The incident escalated into physical violence and the exchange of obscene language, shocking both councillors and officers present at the event.
The meeting, chaired by Municipal vice-chairman Pachiamalla Jyothi, descended into chaos when the commissioner accused the DEE of not performing his duties. This was countered by the DEE, who claimed he was being sidelined intentionally.
The commotion was briefly controlled by councillors, but the situation had already drawn attention, prompting Pithapuram circle inspector G. Srinivas and revenue divisional officer I. Kishore to intervene. An inquiry was launched by Chief Secretary Neerabh Kumar Prasad, with regional director Ch. Naga Narasimha Rao gathering statements from those present.
In response to the incident, the public health department suspended DEE S. Bhavani Shankar for his unprofessional conduct. The engineer-in-chief of the Public Health Department, R. Gopalakrishna Reddy, stated that the DEE's actions had been deemed unacceptable and had brought disrepute to the government. An official report on the incident will be submitted following the inquiry.
