3 YSRCP leaders appear before police

Guntur: Three YSRCP leaders appeared before the police on Monday for questioning in the case of attack on TDP office. Lella Appi Reddy, Devineni Avinash, and Talasila Raghuram were grilled by the police for two hours at Mangalagiri police station. The police officials questioned the accused by showing photographs of those seen participating in the attack. However, the accused told police that they did not know them.

The development comes following the hand over of investigation into the case to AP CID by the government.

In another significant development, YSRCP student wing leader Panuganti Chaitanya, a key accused in the 2021 attack on the TDP office surrendered before a court at Mangalagiri on Monday.

Chaitanya, who is the president of the student wing of the YSRCP, is said to be a close aide of YSRCP MLC Lella Appi Reddy.

Chaitanya was allegedly absconding since the TDP-led NDA government came to power in June. He surrendered in court a day after the state government decided to hand over the case to the CID. The government on Sunday decided to hand over to the CID the cases relating to the attack on the TDP office and the residence of N Chandrababu Naidu in 2021.

A large number of YSRCP supporters had attacked TDP state office on October 19, 2021, after TDP spokesperson Kommareddy Pattabhi Ram had made some objectionable comments against the then Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy. The YSRCP supporters had barged into the TDP office and ransacked the premises damaging furniture and breaking windowpanes. The TDP leaders had alleged that the attackers seen armed with sticks and even hammers damaged the cars parked outside the office.

In September 2021, some YSRCP leaders led by Jogi Ramesh, had also attacked the residence of TDP president and then Leader of Opposition Chandrababu Naidu. After the TDP-led NDA came to power in June this year, police launched a fresh investigation into both cases. YSRCP’s former MLC Nandigam Suresh and MLCs Appi Reddy and Raghuram, and party leader Devineni Avinash were among those named in the TDP office attack case.

Last month, police arrested former MP and YSRCP leader Nandigam Suresh after the Andhra Pradesh High Court dismissed the anticipatory bail petitions filed by him and other leaders.