Hyderabad:The highhandedness of VIP politicians and religious cult leaders brings the focus to the helplessness of law enforcement agencies in the country. Two such incidents exemplify the scenario.
Take the case of Kadapa MP YS Avinash Reddy, who is accused in the murder case of former minister YS Vivekananda Reddy. The CBI sleuths were at the receiving end when they went to arrest him.
The CBI team reached the Visva Bharati Super Specialty Hospital in Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool, to arrest Reddy, who was staying for four to five days due to attend his ailing mother. Sleuths reached there to arrest him as he failed to appear despite being notified to appear for investigation in the murder case.
Hundreds of Avinash's followers and YSRCP activists who were deployed outside and inside the hospital foiled the CBI's bid. Media persons who went for coverage were also attacked by the.
Another similar incident also garnered attention. The setting was Santlok Ashram in Haryana's Hisar where the state police stepped in to arrest Sant Rampal, the head of the ashram, who has been accused in many cases including murders and has refused to attend court hearings despite orders.
Before cops' arrival, Sant Rampal had deployed thousands of followers outside and inside his ashram. They all prevented the police from entering. Clashes broke out and many lost their lives. After some hassles, the police arrested him. This incident, which took place in November 2014, created a sensation across the country at that time
These two separate incidents in two different parts of the country have a common thread. The highhandedness of influential persons, who were not ready to abide by the rules of law, came to the fore. In Haryana, however, the government intervened and asked cops to arrest Sant Rampal. In Andhra Pradesh, the state government did not cooperate with the CBI team that came to arrest Reddy.
Questions were also raised about the intention of the CBI which failed to discharge its duty. In the past, Karunanidhi, Jayalalithaa, Kanchi Kamakoti head Jayendra Saraswati have been arrested. Karunanidhi, who was sleeping in the middle of the night, was also arrested on June 30, 2021. Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister late Jayalalitha was arrested by the Tamil Nadu Police a few years ago. The police went to her residence at 6am and took her into custody within two hours.
