Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy denies involvement in Madanapalle fire incident

Tirupati : Former minister Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy has strongly refuted allegations linking him to the recent fire at the Madanapalle RDO office. Speaking to media in Hyderabad on Wednesday, he challenged anyone with evidence of his involvement to present it, condemning what he described as attempts to assassinate his character.

Ramachandra Reddy maintained his innocence and pledged full cooperation with any investigation. He criticised Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for alleged political vendetta and ‘diversion tactics’ stating that he will pursue legal action against those spreading false accusations.

The former minister denounced claims by Naidu and other officials, emphasising that there is no substantive evidence against him. He highlighted that records allegedly destroyed in the Madanapalle fire incident are available in multiple government offices, questioning the validity of conspiracy theories suggesting otherwise.

He exuded confidence in his innocence and felt that even if the investigation is handed over to the CBI, he will get a clean chit. The YSRCP leader also criticised a section of the media for the ‘false propaganda’ against him over the past 15 days and threatened to file cases against those involved. He also accused Chief Minister Naidu of misleading the public by focusing on a supposedly empty treasury, despite inheriting substantial financial reserves from the previous administration.

Ramachandra Reddy’s denial comes in the wake of DGP Ch Dwarka Tirumala Rao handing over Madanapalle files case to CB CID. The DGP issued orders on Tuesday night handing over the probe to CID.

It may be recalled that a fire incident took place at Madanapalle sub-collector office on July 21 night in which more than 2,400 crucial files were burned while another 700 plus files could be saved from fire. DGP, revenue special chief secretary and other officials visited Madanapalle and took stock of the situation.

Residences of several key suspects were raided by the police and seized a huge number of records. The government also suspended two RDOs and a senior assistant in connection with the case. A forensic team from Pune took the clues from the office and is yet to submit its report. Electricity department investigation proved that the incident was a deliberate act and not due to a short circuit.