Failure of the police to act swiftly and also in an unbiased manner led to escalation of violence in a clash between two communities four days ago in Sanga Reddy, headquarters of Medak district, about 60 kms from here.
Preliminary inquiry by government established that the local police “grossly” failed in containing the arson, as a result of which tension escalated leading to imposition of curfew in the town.
Worse, the police allegedly acted in a biased manner at the behest of a local politician and let mobs belonging to a particular community to run riot, compounding the crisis, highly-placed government sources said.
During the course of their investigations into the incidents so far, police were said to have established some links to the politician’s possible involvement but were yet to register a case against him.
Police apprehended some persons including his supporters suspected to be involved in the violence for questioning.
“We are following certain leads in the case and will identify the culprits soon. We are probing the case from all angles,” a top police official told.
However, no action has been taken so far against any of the police officials of Sanga Reddy for their alleged dereliction of duty that aggravated the situation. Though there was a suggestion that the local inspector of police be transferred, if not suspended, the police top brass did not heed.
Medak district Collector S Suresh Kumar visited the riot-hit areas many times in the last four days and held talks with members of both communities to bring things under control.
An uneasy calm still prevails even as authorities relaxed the curfew during the day.
–Agencies