Hyderabad: Chief minister A Revanth Reddy said all vacancies in the Telangana police department would be filled by 2028, with 5,000 additional posts to be filled soon. He urged the force to be tough on criminals while remaining accessible and friendly to the public.Speaking at the Police Commemoration Day parade at Goshamahal Stadium, Revanth said the recent recruitment of 112 DSPs is unprecedented in the state’s history. The police department is also appointing transgender persons as traffic assistants.Cautioning police officials against misinterpreting friendly policing, Revanth said officers should not go soft on drug offenders, land grabbers or those involved in food adulteration. “Friendly policing is not for criminals. It is for a common man who comes to a police station for help. Be tough against criminals but be friendly with commoners,” he said.Describing narcotics as a major societal challenge, Revanth commended Telangana’s Eagle Force for its efforts to curb the menace, and said the agency ranked first nationally in drug control. He also cited initiatives like TG-SAFE to tackle food adulteration, SHE Teams and Spandana protection teams for women’s safety as special initiatives of the state govt.Revanth reiterated the enhanced ex gratia for the kin of police officials who died in the line of duty — ₹1 crore for constables, ₹1.25 crore for SIs and inspectors, ₹1.5 crore for DSPs and additional SPs and ₹2 crore for SPs and IPS officers. He directed DGP CV Anand to raise the home guard ex gratia from ₹5 lakh to ₹10 lakh. “No one can replace your loss. But you are not alone. The govt will support you fully,” the chief minister told the families.DGP Anand said 154 police personnel were killed in the line of duty across the country in the past year, including three from Telangana. ASI P Devi Singh of Cyberabad was run over by a water tanker at Kompally; constable M Pramod Kumar of Nizamabad was stabbed to death by SK Riyaz, a habitual offender; constable S Kamalakar of Suryapet died when he was hit by a car during a vehicle check. Apart from these three, excise constable G Soumya died after being run over by ganja smugglers in a vehicle in Nizamabad.Anand said the Young India Police School, running from the Greyhounds campus with 350 students, will move to a 44-acre campus in Manchirevula by April with 720 students.A book on police officials killed in the line of duty, titled ‘Amarulu Vaaru’, was released by the chief minister during the event. The event was attended by senior police officers and retired officers and the next of kin of the fallen police officials.
