The Centre assured on Friday to provide protection to Andhra State Election Commissioner N Ramesh Kumar, who is in temporary safe shelter fearing a threat to his life.
In a five-page letter to the Union home secretary, the election commissioner had on Wednesday informed about the "unprecedented violence" in the state and the personal threats he was receiving for sacking "partisan and inefficient" bureaucrats and police officers.
"Our home secretary has received the letter. It's genuine and was signed by the commissioner," Minister of State for Home G Krishan Reddy told reporters on Friday. "The home secretary has already spoken with the state chief secretary to provide enough protection to the officer."
In the letter, Kumar had said: "I am greatly disturbed and apprehensive for my safety and the security of family members. At this point, it also suits me to reside in Hyderabad, which is relatively safe but not completely so as the adversaries have a long reach."