The Andhra Pradesh government has initiated legal action against actor and Jana Sena Party (JSP) president Pawan Kalyan for alleging that the ward and village volunteers employed by the government were involved in human trafficking. The state government issued a Government Order (GO) on Thursday, July 20 directing the Public Prosecutor to file a complaint in a competent court of law against the JSP chief for making allegations against gram/ward volunteers and government.
“Government after careful examination of the matter and in exercise of the powers conferred under Section 199 (4) (b) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, hereby accord sanction to the concerned public prosecutor to make a complaint before the competent court against Pawan Kalyan for making defamatory, derogatory and venomous statements,” the GO read.
The GO mentioned Pawan Kalyan’s speech made in Eluru on July 9 during his campaign. Pawan Kalyan had alleged that village volunteers who were surveilling residents and collecting data were targeting single women and kidnapping them. He also alleged that senior YSRCP leaders were involved in this crime. Citing National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, he claimed, “According to NCRB data, around 29,000 to 30,000 women had gone missing and only 14,000 of them were traced. Where are the remaining 17,000 to 18,000 missing women?” However, the data provided by Pawan does not match the NCRB data.
The GO said that Pawan Kalyan's “defamatory remarks” significantly damaged the volunteer system's and the state government's reputation in the eyes of the general public, especially creating a sense of insecurity in the minds of the women in distress.
Meanwhile, Pawan Kalyan said that he does not fear police action and that he is willing to face the consequences. “I do not make allegations without proper information. I questioned who is heading the volunteer system that is collecting data of the citizens. Instead of responding to the questions I raised, the government has issued a GO to take legal action,” he said while speaking at a meeting in his party office in Mangalagiri.