Hyderabad police on Monday, June 5, filed a chargesheet against YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP) leader YS Sharmila in a case of assault on police personnel on duty. The police filed the chargesheet in the Nampally Criminal Court in connection with an incident that occurred in April, when Sharmila had allegedly slapped a woman constable. Videos of the incident were widely shared at the time, and although Sharmila slapping the constable was not clearly visible in the video, the policewoman was seen holding her cheek. After the police filed the chargesheet on Monday, the court issued summons to Sharmila, directing her to appear before it.
The Banjara Hills police had registered a case against Sharmila and two of her drivers under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), on a complaint by a sub-inspector of police. Sharmila, the sister of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, was sent to judicial custody the same day but was released on bail the next day.
Sharmila and her drivers were booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), and 427 (mischief causing damage). Another case was also booked under IPC section 337 (Causing hurt to any person by doing any act so rashly or negligently as to endanger human life or the personal safety of others).
The incident occurred on April 24 when a police team had gone to Sharmila's house on receiving information that she was going to the office of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) question paper leak. The police personnel tried to stop her saying there was no permission for her visit to the SIT office when she allegedly assaulted them.
The driver of Sharmila's car allegedly did not stop the car on the order of the police and hit them, injuring a constable named Giribabu. Police alleged that the YSRTP chief assaulted two sub-inspectors and a woman constable.