Senior IPS officer Rajiv Trivedi, who is the Director General of Police for Prisons in Telangana has vehemently denied any violation at the wedding of his younger son which was held at a venue in Chandulal Baradari in Hyderabad’s old city on May 24. The high-profile wedding that took place in the old city region in Hyderabad on May 24 evening raised several eyebrows as it was held during the lockdown and several top officials in the state had allegedly attended the wedding.
Several videos from outside the venue have been circulating on social media. In one of the videos that went viral, several security staff, police personnel and drivers of officials can be seen waiting outside the venue and in another video, guests can be seen leaving the venue. Another video shot from a higher location adjacent to the house shows a well-lit venue and some arrangements being made. In another video, a series of crackers can be heard and rockets can be seen in the night sky. According to locals, the entire area was cordoned off and had a large presence of police personnel to ensure no one was present around the locality. None of the videos however captured the crowd at the wedding venue, the Telangana government guidelines issued before the lockdown allow only 40 people at a wedding.
Amjed Ullah Khan, Spokesperson of Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT) says when he heard about the wedding, he tried reaching out to officials from the Kamatipura police station but they did not respond to his calls. He said, “Police officials are imposing the lockdown strictly and vehicles are being seized and challans are being issued because of the rising cases of COVID-19. At the same time, a high-profile marriage has taken place in the old city. Top officials of the state attended the marriage. Law is equal for all. I tried to contact several police personnel and not a single officer has responded to me. Isn't the law the same for one and all?”
Speaking to TNM, IPS officer Rajiv Trivedi denied that there were any violations. Responding to our queries, the officer said, “The venue of this wedding and its location in Hyderabad, matters a lot in this case. This was the second wedding in my family of four members in two days. There is no such allegation regarding the wedding of my elder son which was held just less than 48 hours earlier.”
“There were only five members of my family from my side in this wedding. My own mother who lives with me did not attend. No relatives near or far from my side attended any of the weddings. It was purely between my family, the bride’s family and a few close local friends,” added Trivedi.
The officer also mentioned, “The norms in the GO were not violated. The allegations mentioned are incorrect.”
“Majority of those present, including the bride and the groom, had two doses of vaccination much earlier. As a responsible officer, I have so far successfully managed the safety of more than 7000 persons under my supervision. I wish to repeat with emphasis that the venue, its nature, size and its location matter a lot in the case of this wedding,” added Trivedi.
When TNM contacted Anjani Kumar, Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad to ask if any special permission was taken for the wedding, he only said that he did not attend the wedding. “Whose wedding are you talking about? I did not attend any such wedding. I was busy in a meeting. I will look into it,” the Commissioner said.
When local reporters asked Telangana DGP Mahender Reddy about the much-talked about wedding in the old city, interestingly, he suddenly evaded the question and walked away without responding.