YSR Congress to challenge CBI ‘bid to fix’ its MP in murder case
The case was initially investigated by a special investigation team (SIT) of the state crime investigation department, but was handed over to the CBI in July 2020, on a direction from the state high court based on a petition from the deceased’s wife Sowbhagyamma, daughter N Sunitha and others.
The ruling YSR Congress party in Andhra Pradesh has decided to challenge at “appropriate forums” alleged attempts by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing the murder of former parliamentarian YS Vivekananda Reddy, to fix party’s sitting Kadapa MP, YS Avinash Reddy, in the case by submitting “fabricated” statements in the court.
Vivekananda Reddy, uncle of YSRCP leader and Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, was hacked to death at his residence in Pulivendula in Kadapa district on March 15, 2019. Avinash Reddy is Jagan’s cousin.
The case was initially investigated by a special investigation team (SIT) of the state crime investigation department, but was handed over to the CBI in July 2020, on a direction from the state high court based on a petition from the deceased’s wife Sowbhagyamma, daughter N Sunitha and others.
The CBI, which filed its charge sheet on October 26, 2021, named four persons – Yerra Gangi Reddy, Y Sunil Yadav, G Uma Shankar Reddy and Shaik Dastagiri - as the prime accused in the murder of Viveka, as the slain MP was popularly known.
Of the four accused, Dastagiri, who had worked as a driver for Viveka in the past, had turned an approver four days before the filing of the charge sheet and was granted anticipatory bail by the Pulivendula court.
In the charge sheet, a copy of which was seen by the HT, the CBI had charged the four accused with committing the murder for various reasons including election-related issues and dispute over some land settlement.
Based on the confession statement of Dastagiri, the CBI quoted one of the accused Gangi Reddy of claiming that present Kadapa MP Avinash Reddy, his father Bhaskar Reddy and his associate D Shiv Shankar Reddy were also involved in the murder plan.
“This is absurd. How can Avinash Reddy plan the murder of his own uncle, who had campaigned for him till the last day? The CBI investigation is clearly predetermined and motivated. We shall challenge the charge sheet on appropriate forums,” YSRCP general secretary and advisor to the state government on public affairs Ramakrishna Reddy Sajjala said.
Last week, G Udaya Kumar Reddy, a YSRCP activist from Pulivendula, filed a petition in a court in Kadapa, alleging that additional superintendent of police (CBI) Ram Singh had been harassing him and forcing him to give a false statement.
Following the court order, Kadapa police booked a criminal case against the CBI official on Tuesday under various sections of the IPC. On Wednesday, Ram Singh moved the state high court, which granted stay on further action by the Kadapa police against him.
Sajjala alleged that CBI authorities had not taken into consideration the earlier probe done by the SIT but ignored several key points in their investigation.
He alleged that Viveka’s personal assistant MV Krishna Reddy had concealed the letter purported to have been written by the deceased and also the mobile phone from police till evening of March 15. “The CBI has not questioned him under whose instructions he had hidden the letter and phone,” he said.
Sajjala also demanded that the CBI question Viveka’s wife and daughter for hiding material objects from the investigating agencies and misleading police. “The CBI has to verify whether any data from the mobile phone was deleted,” he said.
He also appealed to the CBI the possible conspiracy hatched by the Telugu Desam Party to eliminate Viveka, so that it could retain political hold on Kadapa. “The offence happened during the TDP regime and at the time of general election,” he pointed out.
The TDP on Wednesday demanded that the CBI probe into Viveka’s murder case be conducted outside Andhra Pradesh as the investigating officers of the central agency were facing threat from the YSRCP.
TDP former MLA Bonda Umamaheswara Rao wondered how Andhra police could file a case against the CBI officer based on the complaint from one of the accused. “The YSRCP is going to extreme lengths to protect the culprits in the Viveka murder,” he alleged.
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