EC orders suspension of Telangana DGP hours after he meets state Cong chief amid vote counting

New Delhi: The Election Commission on Sunday ordered the suspension of Telangana Director General of Police (DGP) Anjani Kumar for violation of the model code of conduct as the counting of votes was underway in the state, sources said.

They said the DGP, along with state police nodal officer Sanjay Jain and nodal officer (expenditure) Mahesh Bhagwat, met Anumula Revanth Reddy, the state Congress president and a candidate, with a bouquet of flowers at his residence in Hyderabad amid the counting of votes.

The DGP opting to meet a contesting candidate out of the total of 2,290 and the star campaigner of one political party out of 16 political parties in the fray was a clear indication of mala fide intention of seeking favour, sources said.

They said the poll panel has ordered the suspension of DGP Kumar.

The Congress was set to oust the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) from power in Telangana, assembly poll results and trends showed.