Krishnakanth Patil took charge as the new Superintendent of Police for Tirupati district on March 5. The post had fallen vacant with the abrupt transfer of Mallika Garg from the post, within a few days of her taking charge.
Rival parties were quick to raise objections over the transfer, which they attributed to ’political pressure’. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Tirupati Parliamentary constituency in charge G. Narasimha Yadav said the government has earned the dubious distinction of erratically and arbitrarily transferring officials.
He squarely blamed two legislators in the district for having a hand in exerting pressure on the Department to get Ms. Garg transferred out of the district.
BJP spokesperson G. Bhanuprakash Reddy called it yet another example of hundreds of instances of undue influence by the political leaders into the official machinery.
Congress leader P. Naveen Kumar Reddy said the government owed an explanation to the people of the district on what necessitated the transfer in less than twenty days of the posting.
