How BRS excise minister Srinivas Goud subverted EC rules and transferred several officers

Telangana: Election Commission guidelines notwithstanding, officials in Telangana Prohibition & Excise Department have been transferred on the recommendations of the BRS leaders.

Sources said in July some of the official transfers have been made at the request of State Excise Minister V Srinivas Goud. He had written a letter to the IT minister KTR recommending a few transfers in favor of sitting MLAs.

In June, the Election Commission issued a letter. However, the orders of transfer were issued in August.

B Laxman Goud, P&E Inspector presently working in Musheerabad has been transferred and posted as SHO, Serilingampally, Ranga Reddy district.

B. Anjan Kumar, P&E Inspector presently working as SHO, Dhoolpet has been transferred and posted as SHO Shadnagar, Ranga Reddy district.

Kavitha, P&E Inspector presently working as P&E Inspector, Border Mobile Patrolling Party (BMPP), Narayanpet Station has been transferred and posted as SHO Narayanpet, Narayanpet district.

S. Narsireddy, P&E Inspector presently working as P&E Inspector, DTF, Mahabubnagar has been transferred and posted as P&E Inspector, DTF, Medchal, Medchal-Malkajgiri district.

B. Praveen Kumar, P&E Inspector presently working as P&E STF, Hyderabad has been transferred and posted as P&E Inspector, DTF, Shamshabad, Ranga Reddy district.

Khaja Moinuddin P&E Sub Inspector presently working at Narayanguda Station has been transferred and posted as SHO Kosgi.

Gandra Devender Rao presently working as P&E Inspector, EO, Charminar has been transferred and posted as EO, Charminar vice N.Srinivasulu.

One particular transfer of Gandra Devender Rao and N.Srinivasulu has sparked concerns about potential political motives behind these reassignments. One of the officers' names has been mentioned as "c/o Mynampally Hanumanth Rao, MLA”.

It may be noted that in September, Mynampally Hanumantha Rao, a senior leader and MLA of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), who was offered Malkajgiri ticket, quit the party after a weeks-long rift with the leadership over the denial of a seat to his son Rohit for the upcoming state assembly elections.

"There are a large number of officers who were office bearers of the Telangana Gazetted Officers' Association, which was founded by Excise Minister Dr V Srinivas Goud. They are now holding key positions like Excise Superintendents. Ravinder Rao in Saroornagar, Satyanarayana in Shamshabad, and Arun Kumar in Malkajgiri. Chandraiah Gowd is Asst Commissioner of Enforcement in Ranga Reddy District. These are all key positions during this election period," said BJP Election Affair Committee chairman Marri Sashidhar Reddy and Member Ponna Venkata Ramana in a letter to Chief Electoral Officer, Telangana, Vikas Raj.

"Since 2017, a large number of officials in the rank of CIs and SIs continue to be posted in the same positions in the Excise Department. But they were never transferred during elections. All the liquor depots in the state are under the control of the Excise Superintendents posted in Mahaboobnagar, Sanga Reddy, Nalgonda and Ranga Reddy. These officials are corrupt and biased. They openly work in the interest of the ruling BRS", Venkata Ramana told NewsMeter.

"All these officials were posted in the favorable districts of the BRS to facilitate the movement of liquor as per their requirement," Venkata Ramana added.

Transfers were made in August 2023. About 10 Cls were posted as HOs in Huzumagar, Kodad, Serilingampally, Medchal, Secunderabad, Shadnagar, Chevella, Musheerabad, Narayanpet and Vikarabad. These transfers have allegedly been done in favor of the ruling party for the elections.

"During elections, it is mandatory for transfers in any poll-bound state. But these postings are done in favor of the BRS MLAs in their assembly constituencies. All these are under the nose of BRS MLAs," BJP spokesperson NV Subhash told NewsMeter.