HYDRAA Chief AV Ranganath: The city’s new vigilante and his journey so far
Hyderabad: The streets of Hyderabad are now echoing with the sound of demolition. The crackdown on illegal encroachments has transformed the city into a battleground between authorities and land grabbers, with the fate of countless structures hanging in the balance. The credit goes to Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Monitoring and Protection (HYDRAA) and its chief, A V Ranganath. Telangana Chief Minister Anumula Revanth Reddy handpicked the IPS officer for his pet project to prevent urban disasters and he himself being the Charmian of the same.
On 24 June, 2024 Telangana government issued transfer orders for around 44 IAS and very few IPS were transferred on the same day AV Ranganath is one of them. AV Ranganath who was Inspector General of Police, Multi zone-I, Hyderabad is transferred and posted as Commissioner, Enforcement, Vigilance and Disaster Management, GHMC. Little did anyone know that this IPS officer would soon become a household name, feared by land grabbers across the city.
The existing Enforcement Vigilance and Disaster Management Department (EV&DM) was reorganized into Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Monitoring and Protection (HYDRAA) in July.
Who is AV Ranganath?
Ranganath, a senior IPS officer, has built a reputation for his unwavering commitment to law and order. Son of a retired IAS officer who entered into government service as a 1998-batch Group I officer in united Andhra Pradesh. After two years of training, his first posting was Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Kothagudem in 2000 where he worked for more than three years and later transferred as DSP of Narsampeta and worked for a year. In 2004 he was transferred to Markapuram, Prakasam District as a DSP. After a few years he was promoted as Additional superintendent and posted as chief of Naxal operations. AV Ranganath was promoted to the IPS cadre in 2006.
During his illustrious career, he held significant roles, including Greyhounds Assault Commander, Superintendent of police (SP) of Khammam and Nalgonda districts, Additional commissioner of police Hyderabad Traffic. Meanwhile, the officer was also awarded one of the prestigious awards, the President’s Police Medal for Gallantry in the year 2012 for his efforts in curbing ‘left-wing extremism’.
AV Ranganath’s most notable achievements include his involvement in high-profile cases including the rape and murder of B Pharmacy student Ayesha Meera in Vijayawada. Ranganath was serving as an Additional Superintendent of Police of East Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh. He was given the task of identifying the culprits after a series of crimes against women in Nandigama. In this case, P Satyam Babu, was accused and he was later acquitted in the court.
During his stint as a Nalgonda SP, Ranganath investigated the brutal dishonour killing of P Pranay, a Dalit man who had married an upper caste girl Amrutha. On September 14, 2018, Pranay Perumalla Kumar, a dalit from Miryalaguda, was hacked to death in broad daylight for marrying Amrutha Varshini, an upper caste girl. Pranay had accompanied his pregnant wife for a check-up at Jyothi hospital in Miryalaguda, when they were leaving at about 1.45 pm, Bari who was hired by Maruthi Rao, the father of the girl attacked him from behind with a machete, killing him. The case was cracked, and dozens of accused were arrested including Maruthi Rao and Bari. On March 8, Maruthi Rao, the prime accused in the case was found dead inside a room at Arya Vaishya Bhavan in Hyderabad.
HYDRAA: Ranganath vs. land grabbers
The existing Enforcement Vigilance and Disaster Management Department (EV&DM) has been reorganized into HYDRAA a unified body created in July to manage disaster response and protect public assets within the Telangana Core Urban Region (TCUR). A.V. Ranganath was appointed as its chief. HYDRAA under the spearhead of Ranganath’s aggressive approach towards land grabbers has sent shockwaves through the city’s land-grabbing circles. The agency’s swift demolition drives have instilled fear among those who have illegally occupied government land or constructed unauthorized structures. The agency which was in the news recently for cracking a whip against encroachments seems to not be slowing down any time soon. The agency is bringing terror among the land grabbers with its campaign against the demolition of illegal structures.
