Viveka murder case:Kin demands probe over ‘CM, MP’s role’

Sunitha said soon after the murder took place, Jagan had demanded a CBI probe into the case and filed a petition in the high court

Slain former Andhra Pradesh minister Y S Vivekananda Reddy’s daughter Dr Narreddy Sunitha on Friday demanded a comprehensive probe into the role of her cousins – chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and Kadapa parliamentarian Y S Avinash Reddy – in the murder of her father five years ago.

Vivekananda Reddy was hacked to death by an axe at his house at Pulivendula in Kadapa district on the night of March 14, 2019 (HT)

Sixty-eight-year-old Vivekananda Reddy, also known as Viveka and brother of former chief minister late Y S Rajasekhar Reddy, was hacked to death by an axe at his house at Pulivendula in Kadapa district on the night of March 14, 2019.

“Normally, any murder case is resolved within four or five months. But even after five years, the real conspirators behind the murder of my father are roaming free. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing the case, has not been able to unravel the mystery behind the murder due to pulls and pressures,” Sunitha said at a press conference in New Delhi.

Stating that the CBI had named Avinash Reddy and his father Y S Bhaskar Reddy as the prime suspects in the case, she alleged that the accused were being protected by those in power. “Everybody had seen how the YSR Congress Party workers had created a terror atmosphere in Kurnool town last year, when the CBI went there to arrest Avinash Reddy, but had to return empty handed. Has there been any such instance in the past?” she asked.

Sunitha said soon after the murder took place, Jagan had demanded a CBI probe into the case and filed a petition in the high court. But after coming to power, he had withdrawn the petition. “When I asked him the reason for withdrawal of the petition, he said if the CBI took up the probe, Avinash would join the BJP and that for him (Jagan), it would be the 12th case,” she said.

When she moved the high court seeking a CBI probe into Viveka’s murder, the YSRCP leaders and Jagan’s family members had brought pressure on her to withdraw the petition. “As the CBI began a probe after my petition, the police started harassing me and my husband. The accused even filed cases against the CBI and created hurdles at every stage in its investigation,” she alleged.

Stating that Jagan had resorted to cheating and betrayal, Sunitha said she wanted the CBI to probe even into Jagan’s role in the case. “If he is innocent, he can be let off,” she said.

She strongly expressed that she will not get justice if Jagan Reddy’s YSRCP wins again in the upcoming elections. She requested the people not to vote for a “hypocritical, cheating party like YSRCP.”

“I want justice from the people, as there is no sign of getting justice from the courts in the near future. I appeal to the people to defeat Jagan and his party in the coming elections in Andhra Pradesh. Only then would I get justice. If Jagan comes back to power, the case will never make any progress,” Sunitha added.

Sunitha also thanked TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu, Jana Sena Party president Pawan Kalyan, former MP Kanumuru Raghu Ramakrishna Raju and her cousin Y S Sharmila who stood by her in her fight for justice.

While Avinash Reddy could not be reached for his reaction, YSRCP general secretary and advisor to the chief minister on public affairs Ramakrishna Reddy Sajjala said Sunitha’s statement smacked of her political intentions.

“It is very much evident from her comments that she was being prompted by Jagan’s rivals. The mask on her face is out today. There is a big conspiracy behind her statements against Jagan and Avinash Reddy,” Sajjala said and pointed out that she had chosen the timing to make wild allegations against Jagan only to benefit the TDP in the coming elections.

Stating that there was no head or tail to her comments against Jagan, the chief minister’s advisor alleged that only Jagan’s political rivals had masterminded the murder of Viveka. “Where is the need for Viveka’s own family members to kill him? If at all there is any such need, the TDP leaders might have it. In fact, it was the TDP leaders who were responsible for Viveka’s defeat in the assembly elections,” he said.

He wondered how the TDP leaders could become friends of Sunitha. “In fact, there were suspicions over the role of Sunitha’s own family members in the Viveka murder case. The CBI should also probe into this angle,” he said.

Meanwhile, TDP official spokesperson G Deepak Reddy demanded an explanation from Jagan on the allegations made by Sunitha that he had sabotaged the CBI investigation into the Viveka murder case.

“While the CBI named Avinash Reddy as an accused, the chief minister directly or indirectly interfered in the investigation process. Jagan has also gone to the extent of instigating the accused to file criminal cases against the investigating CBI officers,” he alleged.

Extending solidarity with Sunitha, Deepak Reddy said the TDP would stand by her in her fight for justice.