GUNTUR: A police Sub-Inspector of Amaravati has landed in serious trouble after being accused of harassing a woman and demanding from her family. Ramanjaneyulu, the police officer of Amaravati, has been placed under suspension pending inquiry on the harassment charges. The police are right now searching for the SI, who is absconding since the time the harassment charges against him surfaced. Superintendent of Police (SP) for Guntur Rural Vijaya Rao said that action would be initiated against the junior officer in connection with the case.

Meanwhile, the State Women’s Commission too has reacted on the episode and has asked the police to arrest Ramanjaneyulu and his driver for abusing the woman. State Women’s Commission Chairperson Vasireddy Padma has issued directions to the SP to complete the investigation into the case within a week. The women’s panel has also asked the district police to file a chargesheet within this time.

After getting details of the incident, Vasireddy Padma has advised the district police to initiate stringent action against the guilty to serve as a strong deterrence in such incidents. The state government has been taking several measures from time to time to safeguard women from such incidents. The Disha Act, which Andhra Pradesh has enacted in the wake of the Disha gang-rape and murder case in Hyderabad, is being effectively enforced in the state. Incidentally, Andhra Pradesh was the first state in the country to enact the stringent Disha Act and that was emulated later by several other states.

Giving her reaction to the alleged harassment of the woman, Vasireddy Padma commented that it is disgusting to see a police officer subjecting a woman to such cruelty when he is actually supposed to be protecting women from any kind of harassment.

The alleged harassment episode left the people of Guntur district outraged even as the disgraced police officer has gone untraceable.