An Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) of police was suspended for hugging Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat candidate K Madhavi Latha on Monday, April 22. In a video, widely circulated on social media, Uma Devi, ASI at Saidabad Police Station was seen shaking hands with Madhavi Latha and hugging her in uniform. 

According to reports, the police officer was on duty when the BJP leader was campaigning in an area under the limits of Saidabad Police Station. 

Subsequently Hyderabad Police Commissioner K Sreenivas Reddy, suspended the police officer for violating the Model Code of Conduct. 

In the video widely circulated on social media, Uma Devi reached out to Madhavi Latha who was campaigning with party cadre in a locality in Hyderabad. Uma Devi shook hands with the Madhavi Latha, and hugged each other. Both were seen smiling and exchanging a few words.  

Madhavi Latha stirred a row last week with her alleged provocative gesture of shooting an imaginary arrow at a mosque during a procession taken out on Ram Navami. On April 20, the  Begum Bazar Police filed an FIR for hurting the religious sentiments of a community through her provocative gesture following a complaint from a resident of Hyderabad. Madhavi Latha has been booked under section 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 125 of the Representation of the People Act.

(With inputs from IANS)