There are disturbing news reports about the shifting of a centre in Srikakulam for the examination of candidates for Village Administrative Officer / Village revenue assistant appointments on Sunday to accommodate an Andhra Pradesh government minister’s son’s wedding reception! There have been reports of at least one candidate trying to rush to another centre as a result of this avoidable dislocation, meeting with a serious accident in which her father lost his life and she was injured.

Some days ago, the same Minister, for a similar event, did not hesitate to break down the compound wall of a school and damage the precincts, without either the district authorities or the State Education Department resisting it.

In the recent past, this very same person has thrown a veiled threat against all those that disagree with him on matters of public policy, committing an act of indiscretion that is condemnable.

Of late, we have witnessed the same Minister’s involvement in the allotment of a valuable granite mine to his son in the same district. In another district, his son has got a valuable apartment for a song in return for the favours shown to the building developer who has misappropriated the land on the basis of fabricated documents. The State government has shown its complicity in this infamous matter by (i) dragging its feet in allowing prosecution of the culprits under Prevention of Corruption Act, (ii) suppressing the facts before Hon’ble Lok Ayukta on a case filed against this and (iii) allowing the culprits enough time to interfere with the evidence and get interim court orders against public interest.

In any civilized society, such persons would have been brought to the book straightaway. A public representative would have been sacked without any hesitation from the sacred office he is in occupation of. It is only in a banana State that encourages feudal tyranny that such persons are allowed to continue and flaunt their authority to threaten the common people.

If the Andhra Pradesh government allows such atrocities to persist, we will be constrained to draw the inference that they have the support of the chief minister. Ours is a civilized democracy in which the rule of law is supreme and the persons occupying public offices accountable. They cannot take the law, the democratic conventions and the people for granted.

I request the CM to ascertain the facts and, if the facts as reported are true, ask the concerned Minister to quit gracefully.

(E A S Sarma is former Energy secretary, Govt of India and Convenor, Forum for Better Visakha)