Call of duty or 'Sye Raa' morning show? Kurnool police chose the latter

Facing the music

Choosing between the call of duty and a movie featuring your favourite star can be a tough call. A bunch of young sub-inspectors (SIs) in Kurnool district learnt that the hard way when they decided to watch south star Chiranjeevi's 151st and the most ambitious movie till date, Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy. The policemen reportedly bunked duty to catch an early morning show at a theatre in Koilakuntla. All would have been well had they not left proof of their day out by posting a photograph on social media. The photograph was noticed by none other than Kurnool SP who was irked that the cops had neither sought his permission nor had they applied for leave. The day also coincided with the inauguration of village secretariat offices in various parts of the state and needed every possible boot on the ground. Last heard, an inquiry had been ordered and probably the SIs are hoping they would be let off lightly.

Restructuring pangs

The proposed restructuring of government departments in Uttar Pradesh on NITI Aayog’s recommendation is hanging over the heads of ministers like the proverbial sword of Damocles. Since the Adityanath government is mulling to pare the total number of departments from nearly 100 to 55-57, the decision is bound to affect a large number of ministries and alter the pecking order in the state council of ministers. The issue has been discussed at length during recent cabinet meetings, although the government seems to be in no great hurry to get it over and done with. It is just a matter of time though.

Agree to disagree

The leadership vacuum in the Congress party continues to roil the waters. After senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid raised an alarm over the future of the party, former MP and Congress General Secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday voiced similar concerns. The party needs urgent introspection to resurrect itself, he said. The two leaders, however, differed on their views about the party's likely performance in the coming Maharashtra Assembly elections. "I strongly believe that Congress will taste victory in the state,'' said the young leader, while his senior colleagues had said earlier in the day that the Congress is unlikely to taste victory in the Assembly elections in Haryana and Maharashtra.