ONGOLE: The Chirala police have arrested senior journalist N Nagarjuna Reddy on Friday, in connecting with a SC / ST atrocities case against him. He was going to attend a journalist union meeting in Vijayawada, when the Chirala police detained him at a checkpost near Guntur. He was produced before the Chirala Munsif Magistrate and was later sent to Ongole district jail on a 14-day judicial remand.
On February 6, Reddy suffered bleeding injuries in an attack by Amanchi Swamulu, the elder brother of Chirala MLA Amanchi Krishna Mohan, in broad daylight on the streets of Chirala after the latter reportedly brought to light the alleged corrupt activities of his elder brother. He lodged a complaint with the police against Swamulu before being admitted to a hospital in Vijayawada for treatment.
However, on the same day, a complaint was lodged against Reddy by one Seelam Syambabu, former TDP councillor and a follower of the Chirala MLA with the Chirala One Town Police mentioning that Nagarjuna Reddy was damaging his character by publishing false stories and also abusing him in the name of caste for questioning the same. A case under SC/ST Atrocities Act was registered against Reddy and the police stated that he was absconding after getting discharged from the hospital.
Chirala DSP Prem Kajal told the media that a lookout notice was issued for arresting Nagarjuna Reddy and he was detained in Guntur by the Chirala police. The family members of Reddy are preparing to file a petition in the court, seeking his release on bail. They alleged that the arrest was made in a discreet manner to avoid protests from the journalists and they had no information about it till late night.