Missing Rajagopal resurfaces at NIMS

Congress MP Lagadapati Rajagopal, who did a vanishing act from Vijayawada Government Hospital on Sunday night, arrived at Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) here on Monday, putting an end to a 15- hour suspense over his whereabouts.

Rajagopal, who has been on a hunger strike for the past eight days in protest against the Centre's move to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh, left the Vijayawada hospital under dramatic circumstances in full view of a large posse of police personnel at around 10.30 in the night of Sunday.

Since then, police could not trace his whereabouts till he came on his own to NIMS and was seen running into the hospital premises on Monday afternoon.

Taking a “serious view” of the episode, which put the entire police force in a bad light, chief minister, K Rosaiah, has suspended six police officers including Vijayawada police commissioner Rajendranath Reddy, assistant commissioner of police AV Subba Rao, circle inspectors Ch Lakshmipati and Dharmendra, sub inspector P Bhaskara Rao and detective sub inspector RVS Kamalakar.

“The incident reveals the indifference, irresponsibility and negligence of the police. There is also a suspicion whether was police connivance. Right from the moment he went missing in cinema fakki (like in a cinema), police could not trace him. We have ordered an inquiry into the episode,” Rosaiah told mediapersons after holding a Cabinet meeting.

The chief minister said seven other policemen, who failed to prevent agitators from setting fire to the offices of BSNL, Tahasildar and R&B executive engineer at Pulivendula in Kadapa district, were also placed under suspension. Those who were suspended included a circle inspector, a sub inspector, an armed reserve sub inspector and four constables.

The suspensions should be a warning to the police, who failed to perform their duties, Rosaiah said adding “we told the police to act but not to overact.”

Asked whether any action would be taken against Rajagopal for escaping from the police custody, Rosaiah said, “We are making amply clear that the government will not keep quiet if people take law into their hands.”

The chief minister said Rajagopal, Congress MLC from Kadapa YS Vivekananda Reddy, TDP MLA Devineni Umamaheshwara Rao and some others, who were on fast-unto-death for the cause of united Andhra, urged that they should be shifted to NIMS. However, his government was of the view that there were enough medical facilities in their respective places to take care of their health and, if necessary, experts could be sent from Hyderabad. Besides, shifting them to the state could unnecessarily cause some disturbances.

He reiterated that pro-Telangana and united Andhra agitations had paralysed normal life, affected government functioning and denting state's resources.

On learning that Rajagopal was admitted to NIMS, a large number pro-Telangana activists rushed to the hospital premises. Raising slogans like "Rajagopal go back," they demanded that the Congress MP be shifted out of Hyderabad.

Police are having a tough time in controlling the swelling crowd. They arrested the leaders of the Telangana joint action committee and did not allow anyone inside the hospital premises. Traffic on the Punjagutta stretch, where NIMS is located, was stopped leading to a heavy traffic jam. Situation continues to remain tense at the hospital premises.