Andhra Pradesh

Ruckus at State Mahila Commission meeting

Special Correspondent

Panel chief and member trade charges at each other; sitting ends abruptly

Verbal duel: State Mahila Commission Chairperson Mary Ravindranath and panel member Padmaja Reddy engaged in heated exchanges at Sri Padmavati Women’s University, Tirupati on Thursday, following which the former (right )is seen bursting into tears.

TIRUPATI: Acrimonious scenes were witnessed at the meeting of the Andhra Pradesh State Mahila Commission here on Thursday following heated exchanges between the panel chief, Mary Ravindranath, and one of its members, Padmaja Reddy.

The ruckus was an extension of the altercation the two had on Wednesday at the S.P. Mahila University when the Tirupati-based local member joined issue with the chairperson for allegedly not informing her about the panel’s scheduled sitting on the campus.

What actually brought the panel to the campus was a complaint lodged with the Commission by some persons against the alleged unseemly behaviour of some of the striking staff members of the university with the Vice-Chancellor, Veena Noble Das.

It was to probe the incident that Mary Ravindranath accompanied by two other members of the Commission arrived on the campus from Hyderabad on Wednesday. But in view of the fluid situation that prevailed at the meeting, the panel had to abruptly wind up its sitting on Wednesday with a decision to meet again to discuss any other subject left uncovered.

Meanwhile, a message was also passed on to the local mediapersons that the Commission chief would meet them after the sitting for a briefing about the sitting.

But when the panel was about to start its session for the day, trouble erupted again when Ms Padmaja Reddy once again kicked up a row, this time for not inviting and informing her about the press conference.

When tempers ran high during the ruckus, the two reportedly hurled charges freely at each other and finally broke into tears blaming one another for the unpleasant situation. The net result of all this was that neither the panel could complete its session fixed for the day nor could it address the scheduled press conference. Both of them, however, separately told their side of the stories to the media. Meanwhile, the non-teaching employees of the varsity held a sit-in before the venue where the panel members met to conduct their probe.

They also tried to mob the car of the panel chief and the members but were persuaded to clear off.

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