Moments that made CBI JD sweat

VV Lakshminarayana, Joint Director, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Hyderabad.

His mere presence makes wrong-doers sweat. But on Monday it was the turn of CBI joint director VV Lakshminarayana to sweat, albeit  for a different reason. In what would have been a nightmarish experience for him, Lakshminarayana and a few others faced tense moments after the lift in which they were moving got stuck in the Nampally Criminal Court complex. The JD, who strictly follows time and does not believe in wasting even a moment without a reason,  was forced to spend 10 minutes of his valuable time in the elevator. Around 1.25 pm, after finishing the arguments in the Jagan case, Lakshminarayana, CBI deputy legal advisor B Ravindranath, additional solicitor- general of India Ashok Bhan, a woman advocate and four securitymen were going down in the lift from the third floor of the court building to get back to their office. As they were engrossed in a discussion, the lift suddenly got stuck and came to a stop between the first and ground floors. The investigating and legal luminaries thought initially that power supply had snapped but later learnt that there was no disruption of power supply.Even as the policemen escorting Lakshminarayana pressed the emergency alarm button inside the lift, no one heard or bothered about it. ‘’They spent more than 10 minutes inside the lift. Though the fan in the lift was working, they appeared tense for some moments,’’ an eyewitness told Express.With no help coming their way, the securitymen forcibly opened the door and jumped out. They quickly brought a chair from the court’s administrative office and helped Lakshminarayana, Ashok Bhan, Ravindranath and the advocate descend from the lift one by one. It is learnt that the lift came to an abrupt halt because it was overloaded. The lift’s capacity is eight but it was carrying ten persons at that time. It was not the first time that the two lifts in the court got malfunctioned. Earlier, when mediapersons were boarding a lift, it got stuck in the middle due to power cuts. The other also got stuck due to heavier. On that occasion too mediapersons had forcibly opened the doors and jumped out to safety. 

By Mouli Mareedu

moulimareedu@gmail.com

3 CCTV cameras to track mob at court on Monday

Police have installed three closed-circuit television cameras at three places in front of the Nampally criminal courts complex here to keep an eye on the crowd that might gather on Monday when YSR Congress Party chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy will appear in the special CBI court in connection with his illegal assets case.The CCTV cameras are connected to a control room where police will watch the footage recorded by the cameras and sent to the control room. Two cameras were positioned one each in front of the two main gates and the third at a middle point opposite the court building.“A few senior police officials, sitting in the control room, will monitor the situation at the court by watching the video footage on the TV screens. If any untoward incident takes place, the police can identify the culprits with the help of the video footage and nab them,’’ a senior police officer said.Hyderabad city police commissioner Anurag Sharma on Saturday issued orders prohibiting holding of any public meeting,  assembly of five or more persons, carrying of firearms, banners, placards, lathis, spears, swords, sticks, brickbats etc.,  shouting of slogan, making of speeches etc., processions and demonstrations; and picketing or dharnas in any public place within the area without a written permission. This order shall come into force with effect from 6 am on May 27 and shall remain in force for a period of two months till 6 am on July 26 (both the days inclusive) unless withdrawn earlier.The areas covered are from Taj Island Crossroads via Ek Minar Mosque to Bazar Ghat Crossroads; Bazar Ghat Crossroads to Ayodhya Hotel Crossroad  via Niloufer Hospital; From Nampally station goods shed to court; Lakdikapul Junction to Criminal Court building via Red Hills and FAPCI building. Religious functions/rallies, public meets etc. in the specified areas can be held with prior permission from DCPs.

 

by Mouli Mareedu

moulimareedu@gmail.com

Day of security paranoia starts with a kiss

Since his school days, it has been a must for him to take the blessings of his mother before stepping out of his home.  So was the case even today. After his mother, Pulivendula MLA Vijayamma kissed and blessed him while other family members and close friends watched, Kadapa MP YS Jagan Mohan Reddy stepped out of his house, waving to his supporters, who gathered there in large numbers to wish their leader luck while the heavy security cover in and around the Lotus Pond tried to do some crowd control which was indeed. Prior to hitting the road to Dilkusha guest house, Jagan took some suggestions from his confidante V Vijay Sai Reddy, who himself faced several rounds of questioning before being arrested earlier by the CBI. Both were closetted for 45 minutes. Around 10.30 am, as Jagan's vehicle came out from his house, tension gripped as his supporters, who were awaiting outside, rounded up his vehicle shouting Jai Jagan.. Jai Jai Jagan. Amidst his supporters, Jagan's convoy passed through to Road No: 12, Banjara Hills towards Raj Bhavan Road where Dilkusha Guest house is located. As the convoy reached to MLA Querters, police led by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Akun Sabharwal detained some of vehicles that part of Jagan's convoy. Akun Sabharwal also directed the police to stop media vehicles not to follow Jagan's convoy. Jagan's convoy escorted by Task Force police passed through Road No: 12 via Pension office, Taj Kirshna, IIPM  and reached Khairtabad junction. Police forces including rapid action forces stopped all vehicles of Jagan at the junction while allowing only two vehicles in which Jagan and Sabbam Hari were travelling.

SECURITY LIKE NEVER BEFORE: With blocking one of the city's key road and section 144 in place followed by heavy police bandobust, Hyderabadis were left cursing wondering why the Hyderabad city police had turned paranoid for mere questioning of an MP. ''It appears as if a US President was to visit the Raj Bhavan road. It was sheer stupidity. I have never come across such a situation wherein for mere questioning, section 144 was imposed and such a massive bandobust was made,'' Amarnath Chowdary, a businessman, told Express. Terming it as a precautionary measure, police closed the stretch of Khairatabad junction - Raj Bhavan between 8.30 am and 7 pm. The Police, however, set up three layer security arrangements on the stretch  to prevent untoward incidents with Jagan appearing before the CBI's office-- Dilkusha Guest House that is located near Raj Bhavan. The entire Raj Bhavan road stretch appeared like a curfew-bound zone with only policemen being seen all over. Leave along the aam-admi, even police officers who just happened to pass by faced the heat. V B Kamalasan Reddy, Superintendent of Police (SP), Intelligence and Assistant  Deputy Commissioner of Police R Ravinder Reddy when police stopped their vehicles at the Raj Bhavan road. While DCP Srikanth, who posted at the Raj Bhavan, directing police to allow Ravinder Reddy towards to Dilkusha Guest House, Kamalasan Reddy opened his car door and introduced the police he is a SP of Intelligence and he was allowed. Police also stopped a vehicle in which a High Court Judge and his wife were travelling at the Raj Bhavan road. When the driver of the vehicle stated that it was a High Court Judge vehicle, police allowed it towards to Sagar Apartments. DCP Srikanth and K Ramachandran, Additional DCP did not allowed mediamen to Dilkusha Guest house even they showed their ID cards. After grilling more than seven hours between 11 am and 6 pm, Jagan came out from the Dilkusha and passed through his vehicle to his Palatial house, Lotus pond.

BUSES BURNT: Meanwhile, barring a few stray incidents of suicide threats, setting ablaze to four RTC buses, the city was peaceful today. A few persons, said to be supporters of Jagan, were took into custody by Punjagutta police when they shouted slogan Jai Jagan... Jai Jai Jagan at Somajiguda. A few unidentified persons also set fire to four RTC buses in LB Nagar, NGO's colony, Dilkushnagar and Meerpet police station limits in support of Jagan. Police said the buses were damaged partially when a few unidentified persons set ablaze the vehicles. It is also reported a few unidentified persons attacked on Heritage Food store located in Punjagutta police station limits. In the attack, the store was damaged partially. In another incident, as many as four women climbed a building, which is under construction, and threatened to attempt suicide by jumping from the building in support of Jagan in Chaitanyapuri police station limits. Police said that four women, said to be women wing workers of YSR Congress party, climbed the building and threatened to jump from the building. A few minutes later, they were came down. Police booked cases against them under section 309 (attempt to commit suicide) IPC.

By Mouli Mareedu

moulimareedu@gmail.com

Are Volvo buses deathtraps?

Fire Service staff putting off flames that broke out from the Volvo Bus in a fire mishap in running bus at Khaitlapur village in Chottupal on National Highway No 9-- Suresh Kumar

A private travel volvo bus gutted in a fire mishap after ramming into a tipper on national highway no 9-- Suresh Kumar

TV Film Kept Them Awake, Saved Them:

It was a nightmare for the passengers travelling on the private Volvo bus that gutted completely in a fire after hitting a tipper near Choutuppal a little after midnight on Sunday. Most of the passengers were awake watching a Telugu film on the TV and it helped them escape in time. ``After distributing water bottles to all the passengers, I returned to the cabin and had a brief conversation with the driver, Veera Srinivas. As the movie was coming to an end, I went back to the passengers to know if they wanted anything. Suddenly, there was a loud sound and the passengers first thought it was tyre burst. Later, we found that the bus had hit a tipper from behind,'' recalled Chinni, the bus cleaner. Chinni broke the windowpanes and saved as many as ten lives. ``Soon after the accident took place, a major fire broke out from the front portion. As we were unable to exit from the front cabin, we broke open the windowpanes with luggage bags and jumped out,'' he said. Chinni, along with 15 passengers who received minor injuries, was admitted to the Government Hospital at Chouttupal in Nalgonda district. After they had jumped out, he said, they started searching for the driver. ``Initially I thought the driver too jumped out through the window but he was, along with a passenger, charred to death,'' Chinni said. Most of the Volvo buses, which have airconditioning facility, catch fire due to short-circuit. Besides,  the buses have the engine at the rear and a delicate chassis. There were several possibilities for eruption of fire like disturbances at the exhaust man-pole located near the silencer, leakages from the fuel tank or short-circuit in the engine.  ``When a Volvo bus meets with an accident, the damage to the vehicle can be immense and the risk to the life of passengers high. In the latest accident involving a Volvo bus of a private travel company, we suspect that the fire broke out due to short-circuit soon after the bus rammed the tipper,'' said Chandrasekhar, chief mechanical engineer (operations) of the AP State Road Transport Corporation. He recalled an accident involving an RTC bus a year ago in a district close to the city. An investigation conducted by senior officials revealed that the driver had lost his control over the steering and hit a water pipe that was constructed at the point of a curve. The bus hit the pipe and caught fire due to the damage caused to the fuel tank. As soon as the accident took place, sparks erupted and fire broke out. Luckily, there were no casualties then, he said and suspected that improper maintenance of the bus might have caused the fire. The driver should inspect the bus before he taking it out. ``We have to check all key points of the bus. We can find out the exact reason for the mishap only when we visit the spot and examine the scene of accident,'' he added. The private Volvo bus that caught fire after ramming a tipper from behind near Choutuppal on Sunday midnight was going at a top speed of 180 km per hour when it met with the accident on NH-9, police said.``The accident took place when the driver tried to chase another vehicle at a high speed to overtake it. Unfortunately hit a tipper ahead of it. The bus driver lost his control over the steering while he was overtaking another vehicle. He failed to notice a tipper which was going slowly ahead and rammed it,'' said Bhongir deputy superintendent of police M Yadaiah. Two persons _ driver Veera Srinivas, a resident of Pulletikurru village in Ambajipet mandal in East Godavari district, and passenger Oruganti Sarada, a resident of Vatluru at Eluru _ were charred to death. As many as 15 passengers received minor injuries and were admitted to the government hospital at Chottuppal, Osmania General Hospital and a private hospital in Hyderabad. The bus, belonging to Anjani Travels, was going from Hyderabad to Amalapuram. Some mishaps in Recent Past --  * March 13, 2012: Fire broke out from the engine of a running Aero Express bus at Kishanguda, near Shamshabad. * April 27, 2011: An Aero Express bus plying between Shamshabad and Begumpet caught fire near Satamrai. In this incident too, fire erupted from the engine and * April 19, 2011: An RTC Metro Express carrying 40 passengers caught fire at Lakdikapul.

By Mouli Mareedu
moulimareedu@gmail.com