VIJAYAWADA: A day after a stone was hurled at Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy at Ajith Singh Nagar in Vijayawada during his ‘Memanta Siddham’ bus yatra on Saturday, the NTR district police registered a case under IPC Section 307 (punishment for attempt to murder) based on a complaint from Velampalli Srinivasa Rao, West MLA and YSRC candidate for Central constituency.
As many as 16 persons have been taken into custody on suspicion that they might be involved in the attack on the YSRC president.
Speaking to TNIE, DGP Kasireddy Rajendranath Reddy on Sunday said NTR district commissioner of police (CP) Kanthi Rana Tata has formed six special teams, comprising more than 20 officers from various wings, to investigate the issue in all aspects. He added that aerial survey of the location was conducted. Additionally, dog squad and drone cameras have been deployed to collect clues from the scene of the incident.
Stating that a meeting was conducted with all commissioners and SPs to review security in the wake of the incident, he explained, “All CPs and SPs have been instructed to beef up security cover for Jagan during his poll campaign. Officials have been instructed to deploy additional police forces in the night.”
The DGP added that a report of the preliminary investigation on the incident has been submitted to the chief electoral officer (CEO) Mukesh Kumar Meena.
Sharing more details on the incident, NTR district CP Kanthi Rana Tata said based on the complaint from Vellampalli Srinivasa Rao and allegations by YSRC leaders that a sling shot or air gun was used to attack the Chief Minister, the scene at the Sri Vivekananda School was reconstructed as part of the investigation.
Suspecting that the incident might be a mischievous act, Rana said, “The accused might be a resident of the same area. We are trying our best to identify the culprits behind the incident.” Further, he asserted that there was no negligence on part of the security personnel.
Elaborating on the investigation, the CP said CCTV footage from all nearby shops and houses was collected and sent to the command control room to identify the accused. He explained that intelligence teams are examining the mobile call data and call data dump in the Dhaba Kottu centre where the incident occurred.
Further, Rana emphasised that two police personnel from the intelligence department and special branch conducted a field security surveillance on Saturday before Jagan’s cavalcade entered Vijayawada.
It has been learnt that police are finding it difficult to obtain CCTV footage from crucial points of the location as power was disconnected during Jagan’s roadshow. Police officers explained that power supply was cut as the live wires would pose a danger to Jagan who stands atop his caravan to greet people during his campaigns.