Synopsis
The Andhra Pradesh government has initiated a probe into alleged threats made against Shaik Dastagiri, an approver in the Vivekananda Reddy murder case, while he was held in Kadapa Jail. An inquiry officer has been appointed to investigate these serious allegations.Key Takeaways
- Probe initiated by Andhra Pradesh government
- Shaik Dastagiri alleges threats and harassment
- Inquiry officer appointed to record statements
- Involvement of YSR Congress leaders in allegations
- CBI investigation into the murder case ongoing
Amaravati, Feb 6 (NationPress) The government of Andhra Pradesh has launched a probe into alleged threats directed at Shaik Dastagiri, an accused who became an approver in the murder of former state minister Y. S. Vivekananda Reddy, while he was detained in Kadapa Jail.
The inquiry officer appointed is S. Rahul, the Superintendent of Rajahmundry Central Jail. He is scheduled to document Dastagiri's testimony at Kadapa Jail on Friday.
Following this, the inquiry officer will interrogate D. Chaitanya Reddy, the son of murder suspect Shivashankar Reddy, along with Prakash Reddy, the former superintendent of Kadapa Jail.
These individuals, along with two others, were charged by the Pulivendula police in Kadapa district based on a complaint filed by Dastagiri.
The other two charged include Nagaraju, the former Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of Jammalamadugu, and Eswaraiah, the former Circle Inspector of Erraguntla.
Dastagiri has accused that he faced harassment and intimidation during his remand at Kadapa Jail from October 2023 to February 2024. He claims that both DSP Nagaraju and CI Eswaraiah coerced him to support leaders of the YSR Congress in this case.
Moreover, Dastagiri alleges that in November 2023, Chaitanya Reddy threatened him within Kadapa Jail, insisting that he testify against CBI SP Ram Singh. He claims Chaitanya Reddy offered him Rs 20 crore to falsely implicate Ram Singh and that he was also harassed by jail superintendent Prakash.
Despite previously reporting the harassment, Dastagiri stated that no action was taken, attributing this to the ruling party, the YSR Congress.
Initially an accused in this high-profile murder case, Dastagiri later became an approver and has frequently expressed concerns for his life.
Having served as the driver for Vivekananda Reddy, Dastagiri has noted that the threats against him and his family escalated after he provided two statements to the CBI in 2021 and 2022.
Vivekananda Reddy, the sibling of former chief minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy and uncle to former chief minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, was brutally murdered in his home in Pulivendula on March 15, 2019, just weeks prior to elections.
The 68-year-old former state minister and MP was alone in his residence when unidentified assailants entered and killed him.
Taking over the investigation in 2020 upon the directive of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, the CBI began probing the case following concerns raised by Vivekananda Reddy’s daughter, Suneetha Reddy, who suspected some relatives.
In a bid to accelerate the investigation, the CBI arrested Y. S. Avinash Reddy, a leader from the YSR Congress and MP from Kadapa, along with his father, Y. S. Bhaskar Reddy, and their associate Uday Kumar Reddy in 2023.
Notably, Avinash Reddy, who is a cousin of Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, has also been named as a suspect by the CBI.
