Senior TDP senior leader and former minister Ayyanna Patrudu has been booked under the Nirbhaya Act by Vishakapatanam rural police, for a speech where he verbally abused a woman Municipal Commissioner, even threatening to strip her.
Narsipatnam Municipal Commissioner Thota Krishnaveni lodged a complaint with local police, accusing the former minister of publicly disrespecting and humiliating her by using vile language against her during a protest.
Earlier, staff in Narsipatnam Municipality reportedly shifted a portrait of Lachha Patrudu, an ex Sarpanch of Narsipatnam and grandfather of Ayyanna Patrudu, to a different room as renovation works were taking place. Objecting to this, Ayyanna Patrudu and his supporters staged a protest in Narsipatnam demanding that the portrait be reinstated. Krishnaveni is said to have clarified that the portrait will be kept at the same place as soon as the renovation of the municipal office is over.
However, speaking at the protest, Ayyanna Patrudu instigated his party cadres against the woman officer, as seen in a video. “I'm not able to tell you as you are a woman, If you were a man I would have told you. We are giving you respect as you are a woman officer, if you don't keep your word, there may arise a situation where we strip off your clothes. It is inevitable. To save ourselves and to protect justice, we will do anything.”
According to police the incident happened on Monday, when a sit in protest was organised by Ayyanna Patrudu.
Speaking to TNM Narsipatnam Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Tuhin Sinha said "Municipal Commissioner Krishnaveni has filed a complaint alleging that Ayyanna Patrudu has used some foul language against her, we have the evidence and a case has been registered and is under investigation."
Ayyanna has been booked under Sections 354-A (4) (outraging the modest woman), 506 (Criminal Intimidation) and 509 ( Use of word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) under the Nirbhaya Act along with other sections of IPC.
Krishnaveni following her complaint to police said, "He used foul language against me without even considering that I'm a woman. I was hurt by those words not just as an officer but also as a woman, so I sought police to take action.”
Last week Ayyanna Patrudu came down heavily on government and Anti Corruption Bureau officials over the arrest of his colleague Atchannaidu in the Employee State Insurance (ESI) scam alleging that it was a "conspiracy" and ACB has not followed the protocol.