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Andhra CID probes into attacks on TDP office, CM’s house
In both the cases, the YSRCP leaders and their followers were booked under several charges, including criminal trespass, theft, attempt to murder, criminal intimidation and criminal conspiracy
The Crime Investigation Department (CID) of Andhra Pradesh police on Monday began a probe into the attacks on Telugu Desam Party’s (TDP’s) central office at Mangalagiri in Guntur and party president N Chandrababu Naidu’s residence at Undavalli in Amaravati, allegedly by the YSR Congress party leaders and cadre, in 2021 when he was the leader of opposition, people familiar with the matter said.
State director general of police Ch Dwaraka Tirumala Rao issued orders on Saturday, directing additional director general, CID, Ravi Shankar Ayyannar to take up the investigation into the two high-profile cases. He asked the CID chief to deploy special officers for probing each case thoroughly.
In 2021, the attack on Naidu’s residence took place on September 17, and the TDP central office was vandalised on October 19. The case pertaining to the attack on Naidu’s residence at Undavalli was registered by the Tadepalli police. The case pertaining to the attack on the TDP office was being probed by the Mangalagiri police.
In both the cases, the YSRCP leaders and their followers were booked under several charges, including criminal trespass, theft, attempt to murder, criminal intimidation and criminal conspiracy.
The Tadepalli police named senior YSRCP leader and former minister Jogi Ramesh, along with his followers in connection with the attack on Naidu’s residence.
Similarly, Mangalagiri police registered cases against 110 people, including former Bapatla MP Nandigam Suresh, MLCs Lella Appireddy and Talasila Raghuram, former MLA Devineni Avinash and YSRCP general secretary Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, for allegedly attacking the TDP office.
In fact, police arrested Nandigam Suresh on September 5 in connection with the case, but the state high court granted him bail on October 4. Other leaders, too, obtained relief from the court from being arrested till October 21.
“The CID authorities are gathering the case diaries, evidence, CCTV footage, statements and other documents related to the two cases as part of the probe,” a senior official of the CID said on condition of anonymity.
Though police had registered cases in both the instances in 2021 itself, the investigation did not make any headway till the YSRCP lost power to the TDP-led National Democratic Alliance in June this year.
“Though police had served notices to the accused and questioned senior leaders such as Nandigam Suresh, Jogi Ramesh, Lella Appi Reddy and Devineni Avinash, the probe did not progress much. Hence, the government decided to entrust the case to the CID,” the police officials quoted above said.
