The Telangana state government’s U-turn on the credentials of gangster Nayeem has been wondering many. Just a week after Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao ‘confirming’ his links with several police officials and political leaders, in his statement submitted in the Assembly on Nayeem’s encounter, surprisingly the state Home Secretary submitted a quite different version in the High Court.
Principal Secretary (Home) Rajiv Trivedi, in his affidavit to the High Court yesterday affirmed that so far no evidence has been found with regard to Nayeem’s link with police and political leaders. It may be recalled that the Chief Minister has even mentioned at one stage retorting Congress members demand for a CBI probe, said in the Assembly that a former DGP, appointed by `your government’ was also associated with him.
It was widely exposed in the media that Nayeem had a habit of noting all his criminal activities in his dairy and that dairy was under the custody of the police. But, surprisingly the government is maintaining silence over this dairy. It was not even mentioned in Chief Minister’s statement presented in the Assembly. No mention was made in the documents presented to the court or stated in Home Secretary’s affidavit.
Nayeem, a former Naxal-turned-gangster, was killed in an exchange of fire with the Telangana police in August this year and was alleged to be working as a covert operative for the police. The Home Secretary filed this affidavit urging the High Court to dismiss the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition filed by CPI National Secretary K Narayana seeking CBI probe into the activities of slain gangster Nayeem and his gang.
Terming the petition as publicity oriented, in his counter affidavit the Home Secretary informed the court that there is no need for a CBI probe as a Special Investigation Team under the leadership of Additional DGP is working vigorously on cases linked to Nayeem gang.
Congress deputy leader in the assembly B Jeevan Reddy accused that the government is plotting to protect senior police officials and political leaders involved in the criminal activities of Nayeem, as most of them are now closely associated with the government. In the process, he deplored that the government is making innocent scapegoats.
