Scribes plan stir against Anjaneyulus posting

Sending  strong signal of resentment against posting of PSR Anjaneyulu asV'wada police commissioner, state journalist unions are planning to stage hunger strikes and dharnas across the state on April 28. In its report on violence against mediapersons at Osmania University (OU) during the students agitation in February, the Press Council of India (PCI) indicted several police officials including Anjaneyulu, who was then joint commissioner and advised the state government not to give him any posting from which he can directly or indirectly interfere in the freedom of the press. Even though it is not legally binding, several state governments in the past implemented PCI recommendations based on inquiries conducted on the atrocities committed by police officials on mediapersons. For instance, acting on the recommen-dation of a PCI report in 2009, UP government asked Lakhimpur-Kheri district SSP, N Padmaja to go one leave, gave her a loop line posting and recorded the incident in her service register, said former president of APUWJ, K Amarnath. However, in recent IPS transfers announced by the state government after the release of the report, Anjaneyulu was appointed as commissioner of police, Vijayawada, much to the shock of the media fraternity. Following this, a delegation of journalist unions met the CM on Wednesday reminding him about the PCI report. The CM reportedly told the delegation that he would get back in a day but that did not happen and the indicted officer took charge as commissioner of police, Vijayawada, on Friday. Condemning the action of the government, representatives of various journalist unions announced that a one day hunger strike and rasta rokos will be observed on April 28 throughout the state, in which their leaders and senior journalists from print and electronic media will participate.
A delegation of journalist organisations and senior journalists will meet the heads of all political parties and civil society organisations in the state and seek their support for the cause of freedom of the press. If government still refuses to mend its ways, we would decide on our future course of action to intensify our agitation on April 29,  APUWJ general secretary Y Narender Reddy said. When contacted, home minister Sabita Indra Reddy said she was not solely responsible for the IPS transfers and government is yet to take a decision on the CID inquiry into the OU violence.

PSR takes charge as Vijayawada PC

Barely hours after chief minister K Rosaiah gave the go-ahead, controversial cop P S R Anjaneyulu assumed charge as city police commissioner in Vijayawada on Friday. Sources said state police chief R R Girish Kumar, who has been batting for a prime position for PSR ever since he took over the reins of state police administration six months ago, took personal interest in prevailing upon the chief minister on Thursday after some journalist unions expressed reservations on PSRs appointment as Vijayawada city police chief. Girish Kumar along with intelligence IG Mahender Reddy met the CM and explained to him that the CID probe into the Osmania University incident did not find fault with PSR and that the government need not go by the recommendations of the Press Council of India.
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(source-toi)