The appointment of a direct officer of the Indian Police Service (IPS) to the post of Bellampalli Additional Superintendent of Police in Adilabad at this juncture is certainly not a routine affair.
As this Police Sub-Division has been crucial in terms of extremism in this district, it is being assumed here that by appointing Nyalakonda Prakash Reddy, a 2010 batch IPS officer, the government has made its intention on controlling Maoist activity quite clear.
Mr. Reddy is the third direct IPS officer among the six officers posted as Additional SPs at Bellampally since Mahesh M. Bhagwat, who was promoted as Superintendent of Police in 2001.
The incumbencies of Stephen Ravindra, who had succeeded Mr. Bhagwat and Mr. Bhaskar Bhushan, who was transferred just a few days ago, were quite eventful when it comes to anti-naxalite operations.
Though Maoist activity in Adilabad had lost its tempo about a decade ago, there were always reports of naxal movement in Bellampally Sub-Division, mostly of extremist bands crossing over into the district from Gadhchiroli in Maharashtra.
Also, the Dalam which was involved in two exchanges of fire last year, and is involved in recruitment of cadres, is mostly sighted in this Sub-Division only.
According to observers, the development indicates that the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) government does not prefer any change in the previous governments’ policy towards Maoists.
There were many who had expected a spurt in extremism in Telangana after the formation of the State on the premise that the ruling would ‘relax’ the conditions in the new State.
Top police officers confirm that the initial fear that the government would ‘interfere’ in anti-extremist operations has been belied as they continue to be given a free hand in dealing with the issue. “Nothing has changed and we are in pursuit of Maoists who do not accept the offer of rehabilitation on surrendering themselves to the law,” observed an officer involved in anti-naxalite operations in this district.
The new incumbent has his task cut out in controlling the active Dalam from carrying out any further recruitment among tribal youths in the district.
Also, the task of securing the riverine border which eastern Adilabad shares with Aheri and Sironcha Tehsils of Gadchiroli would be among his priorities.
