EC replaces Vikarabad SP after 'unwarranted' arrest of Congress leader

The Election Commission on Wednesday ordered the removal of Superintendent of Police of Telangana's Vikarabad district over the arrest of Congress' A Revanth Reddy as the police observer found his detention of was "unwarranted", sources in the poll panel said.

"The Commission has decided to shift SP Vikarabad T Annapurna and post Avinash Mohanti as the new SP with immediate effect," an EC functionary said.

The commission has also directed that Annapurna is attached to the police headquarters and not assigned any election duty, the functionary added.

The observers are deployed by the EC to keep an eye on various issues related to elections.

In the early hours of Tuesday, the Vikarabad police had taken Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee working president Reddy into preventive custody citing law and order issues.

Reddy's arrest came ahead of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao 's meeting at Kodangal.

Revanth had given a Kodangal bandh call and asked the party workers to stage protest programs across the constituency against the visit of the chief minister.

He was let off later, but only after Rao's meeting at Kosigi in the assembly segment got over.

Telangana goes to polls on December 7.

(With inputs from agencies.)