The Human Rights Forum (HRF) expresses deep dismay and condemns the reported assertion at a media conference this Monday by Andhra Pradesh’s Minister for Home Affairs, Ms Vangalapudi Anitha, defending the recent public assault of three youth by the Tenali police in full public view. The incident, caught on video and widely circulated, is a stark display of police impunity. The Minister’s reported attempt to justify it is an alarming breach of Constitutional responsibility by a person tasked with upholding the law.
Instead of calling for and ensuring accountability, the Minister has emboldened a culture of impunity within the police force. HRF demands that the Government of AP initiate an independent, time-bound enquiry into the Minister’s conduct and if her statement is indeed true, remove her from office without delay. Her endorsement of such excesses not only undermines the rule of law – a core feature of our Constitution – but constitutes a grave breach of her Constitutional oath.
The Minister’s assertion is a direct affront to the rule of law which is a core and non-derogable feature of the Constitution. By openly siding with erring police personnel instead of seeking to initiate lawful action against them, she has not only abdicated her responsibility as a public servant but also undermined the legal order. Equally troubling is the silence of the State’s Director General of Police who has not even publicly repudiated the brazen abuse of power by the Tenali police.
The right against torture is a universally recognised inviolable human right. It cannot be suspended or diluted for reasons of political expediency or crude polemics. No cause – no matter however noble it may appear – can justify the suspension of this fundamental right. By seeking to justify police violence, the Minister has set a dangerous precedent.
Also, the Minister’s casual dismissal of the caste identities of two of the Dalit victims of police brutality by saying “a wrongdoer has no caste or religion” reveals a disregard for and trivialises the systemic nature of caste-based violence. Such assertions overstep the bounds of executive authority. Ministers or police officials do not possess the mandate to pronounce guilt or innocence. That remains the exclusive domain of the judiciary. Any attempt to usurp the judicial functions by the executive is a threat to our democratic fabric and Constitutional scheme.
Since the formation of the State of Andhra Pradesh, no Home Minister has so openly and unapologetically defended police torture. HRF is of the view that this is a dangerous precedent. Separation of powers is not an abstract Constitutional ideal, it is a cornerstone of democracy. This moment marks a serious departure from Constitutional governance. We reiterate our demand that Ms. Vangalapudi Anitha resign – not just on moral grounds, but also for being in contempt of law and justice.
We call on the people of AP to reject normalisation of police violence and to stand in defence of Constitutional values.
Y Rajesh – HRF AP State general secretary
VS Krishna – HRF AP&TG Coordination committee member
4-6-2025,
Visakhapatnam.