Hyderabad, January 04: The criminal background of Anantapur faction leader Maddelacheruvu Suri, including cases of bomb blasts, extortions and murders, is what prevented the state government from providing security cover for him.
Sources disclosed to Express that soon after his release from the prison on bail, Suri wrote to the Anantapur district SP seeking security on the ground that he faced serious threats from various quarters, particularly Naxalites and faction leaders.
When the report reached senior police officials in Hyderabad, the threat to Suri was analysed. ‘’Security could not have been provided to Suri because of his criminal background. How could the government provide gunmen to a man accused of so many crimes?’’ the sources said.
The government even obtained a threat perception report and concluded that Suri did not face any threat from Naxalites. When it came to factionists, the police officials were of the view that providing gunmen to Suri would send a wrong signal. ‘’Everyone would think that the government was trying to protect a criminal,’’ the sources said.
The police officials then referred to the GO 655 which states that if security is provided to a person who has a criminal history, then the other party (his rivals) must also be provided security. Based on that GO, the threat perception report and other aspects, Suri’s request was turned down.
‘’Now that he is no more, everyone is talking about his security. Had he been alive, everyone would have said that the government, particularly the police department, was trying to protect a faction leader with a massive criminal history,’’ the sources said. Police officials said that Suri’s death did not take place because of faction feuds nor was it carried out by the Naxalites. ‘’It was his own trusted man who killed him,’’ they said.
While analysing Suri’s threat perception, the officials were left wondering from which quarter he faced threat. ‘’He is into so many dealings, extortions and other crimes and it was not possible to point out any potent threat he faced,’’ they said.
Suri even filed a writ petition in the High Court against the government’s decision not to provide him security. ‘’He could have easily afforded private security and he was, in fact, moving with men who were carrying unlicensed weapons,’’ they said.
Interestingly, soon after Suri came out on bail, Paritala Sunitha, wife of slain TDP Legislator Paritala Ravindra’s wife, too applied for security for her two children. “The requests of both Suri and Sunitha were turned down,’’ the sources added.
–Agencies