Hyderabad: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday sought the help of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to arrest Andhra Pradesh lawmaker YS Avinash Reddy in connection with its probe into the murder of former minister YS Vivekananda Reddy, citing lack of cooperation from the local police, people familiar with the matter said.
The request came following a day-long drama in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool town, where ruling YSC Congress Party’s MP Avinash Reddy, a cousin of chief minister and party chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, is tending to his mother, who is undergoing treatment for a heart ailment at a private hospital.
Reddy, who represents Kadapa Lok Sabha seat, was summoned by CBI to appear for questioning at 11 am on Monday in Hyderabad. But, the lawmaker wrote to the federal agency on Sunday evening, saying he would need at least seven more days to appear before it, citing his mother’s ailment.
CBI, however, refused to entertain the request by the MP, who had failed to appear before the agency on May 16 and May 19 after being summoned for questioning in the 2019 murder of Vivekananda Reddy.
Earlier on Monday, a team of CBI sleuths reached Vishwa Bharati Hospital in Kurnool to take the YSRCP lawmaker into custody for questioning. Tension prevailed at the hospital as hundreds of followers of Avinash Reddy prevent CBI officials from entering the premises. Ruling YSRCP workers also attacked media personnel of various TV channels who had gathered to cover the developments, said an official familiar with the matter.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier on Monday, a team of CBI sleuths reached Vishwa Bharati Hospital in Kurnool to take the YSRCP lawmaker into custody for questioning. Tension prevailed at the hospital as hundreds of followers of Avinash Reddy prevent CBI officials from entering the premises. Ruling YSRCP workers also attacked media personnel of various TV channels who had gathered to cover the developments, said an official familiar with the matter.
{{/usCountry}}CBI sleuths held two rounds of talks with Kurnool superintendent of police (SP) G Kishnakanth, seeking assistance from the local police to arrest the MP.
“The SP, however, expressed helplessness to cooperate with CBI stating that the arrest of the MP might lead to breakdown of law and order in the town and elsewhere in the state,” a local police officer said, requesting anonymity. “He told them that unless there are clear instructions from Director General of Police (DGP) KV Rajendranath Reddy, he cannot help them.”
CBI officials then called up their higher-ups and sought help from CRPF to take the lawmaker into custody. A team of 35 CRPF personnel from Hyderabad left for Kurnool late in the evening, the official quoted in first instance said, adding that the CBI team was waiting at the state guest house for the central forces to arrive in the town.
The day also saw chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s mother YS Vijayamma visiting the hospital where her nephew Avinash Reddy’s mother is admitted.
Meanwhile, Avinash Reddy moved the Supreme Court, seeking a direction to the Telangana high court to consider his petition for anticipatory bail in the murder case. He also sought a direction to CBI to give him exemption from interrogation for a week in view of his mother’s health condition. A vacation bench of the apex court will take up his petition on Tuesday.