AP DGP Harish Kumar Gupta Attends Press Meet, Dodges Tough Questions

Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) Harish Kumar Gupta declined to answer pointed questions from journalists during a press conference held on Saturday (July 26).

At the briefing, DGP Gupta announced the surrender of senior Maoist leaders — CPI (Maoist) Bastar divisional committee in-charge and State Zonal Committee Member (SZCM) Jorige Nagaraju alias Kamalesh, and his wife, divisional committee member Medaka Jyoteeswari alias Aruna.

However, tensions rose when journalists questioned him about serious allegations made by Tiruvuru MLA Kolikapudi Srinivas Rao. The MLA had accused certain police officers of being involved in large-scale drug rackets. Visibly irked by the question, the DGP refused to respond directly.

“The DGP is not responsible for commenting on local-level allegations,” Gupta said. “Specific officers must be questioned regarding such matters. Anyone can make allegations.”

When a reporter pointed out that an elected representative had raised concerns about rampant ganja (cannabis) trade, the DGP reiterated his stance, stating that only evidence-backed allegations merited a response. He firmly maintained that he would only address questions related to the Maoists.

The controversy stems from recent claims made by YSRCP MLA Kolikapudi Srinivas, who alleged that a police sub-inspector (SI) named Satyanarayana was running a network of young men to procure and sell marijuana in Tiruvuru town. According to the MLA, previously booked offenders were being forced to source ganja from Bhadrachalam, sell it in Tiruvur and hand over the proceeds to the SI.

Despite growing public concern over the illegal trade of narcotics in Andhra Pradesh, the DGP’s refusal to address or acknowledge the MLA’s accusations has drawn sharp criticism. His silence on the issue has raised questions about accountability and transparency within the police force.