We are scapegoats, say Andhra IAS officers

Hyderabad - Rattled by the arrest of two senior colleagues in Emaar and illegal mining cases, IAS officers in Andhra Pradesh Friday told Chief Minister N. Kiran Reddy that they were being made scapegoats.

Over 30 IAS officers met Reddy and conveyed their "anguish" over the manner in which the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was probing various cases.

"We don't know why we are being targeted. The innocents and those who may have complicity are being clubbed together," said senior IAS officer Prasanta Mahapatra.

The CBI arrested two IAS officers in Emaar and illegal mining scams and named another officer in the Emaar chargesheet.

It is also questioning several others in three cases including one involving the alleged illegal assets of YSR Congress party leader Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy.

In the meeting which lasted for an hour, the bureaucrats said they were merely implementing policy decisions of the cabinet and it was not proper to make them scapegoats.

They urged the chief minister to take steps to create an atmosphere in which they can freely and fearlessly discharge their duties.

The IAS officers met the chief minister close on the heels of the arrest of principal secretary (home) B.P. Acharya in the Emaar case.

Acharya has been chargesheeted along with Tirumala Tirupati Devsthanam (TTD) Chief Executive Officer L.V. Subrahmanyam and a retired IAS officer, K.V. Rao.

In December, the CBI arrested family welfare commissioner Y. Srilakshmi in the illegal mining case involving former Karnataka minister G. Janardhana Reddy.

Both Acharya and Srilkahsmi are in judicial custody.

The CBI is also questioning several IAS officers including former chief secretary P. Ramakanth Reddy.