Dy tehsildar intrudes into Smita Sabharwal’s house in Jubilee Hills, arrested

HYDERABAD: Smita Sabharwal, senior IAS officer and a crucial civil servant in the Telangana state administration, faced a nightmare in the dead of the night when a deputy tehsildar intruded into her residence in Jubilee Hills and behaved indecently. The accused, Anand Kumar Reddy, associated with the Medchal district administration, has since been arrested and remanded, based on a complaint from the senior woman officer.

The audacious attempt by the deputy Tehsildar targetting Smita Sabharwal, which evoked widespread outrage and condemnation, reportedly happened between 11 pm and 12 am. According to reports, Anand Kumar Reddy stunned the woman official by gaining unlawful entry inside the house. He told her that he was there to discuss an employment issue.

He also allegedly tried to misbehave with Smita Sabharwal, prompting her to immediately raise an alarm. Her personal security men immediately apprehended Anand Kumar Reddy and handed him over to the Jubilee Hills police. Based on a formal complaint lodged by the senior IAS officer, the Jubilee Hills police registered a case before arresting him and ensuring his subsequent remand.

Besides Anand Kumar Reddy, one more person was also booked for the alleged offence in the case. His identity was however not immediately known. The police suspect Anand Kumar Reddy to have been stalking Smita Sabharwal on Twitter. Preliminary investigation revealed that the deputy tehsildar of Medchal had, in the past, retweeted a few tweets of the woman civil servant.

Smita Sabharwal herself shared the nightmare she had to face at her residence in a tweet. Without naming Anand Kumar Reddy, she said that she had to endure the most harrowing experience when an intruder broke into her house. She said that she had the presence of mind to come out unscathed from the incident.

She also sought to showcase the incident as a reminder for everyone in terms of one’s personal safety. “Lessons: no matter how secure you think you are - always check the doors/locks personally Dial 100 in emergency,” read her tweet.

The incident instantly sparked an intense debate on social media platforms with netizens stressing on the importance of taking security safeguards by everone, especially women, when no less than a senior civil servant could face such a bizarre experience.