The Andhra Pradesh government on Tuesday issued orders withdrawing the official security cover provided to former Intelligence Chief and retired Director General of Police A.B. Venkateswara Rao, who played a key role during Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s previous tenure between 2014 and 2019.
As part of the decision, the government ordered the withdrawal of the bulletproof vehicle, escort vehicles and armed security personnel assigned to him after his retirement.
However, sources indicated that similar security arrangements, including bulletproof vehicles, would continue for former DGPs Dwaraka Tirumala Rao, Sambasiva Rao and Surendra Babu.
The decision has attracted considerable attention, as it departs from the long-standing practice of extending security protection to senior police officers who served in Naxalite-affected areas or played key roles in anti-Maoist operations. Such officers are generally provided security after retirement based on periodic threat-perception assessments.
Several former DGPs who served in the Intelligence Wing, Greyhounds or other anti-Naxal units have continued to receive security cover for years. Although such arrangements are reviewed from time to time, they are typically withdrawn only when the authorities conclude that the threat has substantially diminished.
Against this backdrop, the withdrawal of security for A.B. Venkateswara Rao has become a subject of public and political discussion.
The development assumes significance as Venkateswara Rao has, in recent months, openly criticised several policy decisions of the Chandrababu Naidu-led government. Through social media posts and public forums, he has expressed his views on policing, governance and administrative matters.
His public interventions have sparked debate in political circles, with some questioning whether the withdrawal was based solely on a revised threat assessment or whether other factors influenced the decision.
Venkateswara Rao served as Intelligence Chief during the previous Telugu Desam Party government. During that period, opposition parties frequently alleged that he was close to the TDP administration.
After the YSR Congress Party came to power in 2019, Rao was suspended from service and faced multiple inquiries over various allegations. He remained out of service for an extended period before challenging the government’s actions in court.
Following judicial intervention, he was reinstated and later retired with the rank of DGP.
The latest decision has drawn particular attention because the security cover was withdrawn by the present TDP-led coalition government, despite Rao having served in a key position during an earlier TDP administration.
