VIJAYAWADA : NTR District Commissioner of Police Kanthi Rana Tata has announced a cash reward of Rs 2 lakh to those who provide information or recordings or photographs that could lead to the identification and arrest of the person who hurled a stone at Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy at Sri Vivekananda School on Daba Kottu road during his Memantha Siddham Bus Yatra on Saturday night.
In the incident, the Chief Minister suffered an injury on his forehead while former minister and Vijayawada Central YSRCP candidate Velampalli Srinivasa Rao injured his left eye.
Addressing mediapersons on Monday, the CP exuded confidence that police will catch the culprit soon and revealed that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) with eight officers of various ranks has been constituted with the officials who earlier worked in the city in crime and Task force wings to arrest the accused attacker.
“A Rs 2 lakh reward will be given to those who provide information and video footage, CCTV footage, or photos, leading to the arrest of the accused. Informant’s details will be kept confidential. They could approach K Srinivasa Rao, DCP, NRT police commissioner, or R Sriharibabu ADCP Task Force to give information directly,” said Kanthi Rana Tata.
56 persons questioned, CCTV footage from 24 locations examined, says Rana
Based on a complaint lodged by Velampalli Srinivasa Rao, Ajit Singh Nagar police registered a case under charges of attempt to murder, and formed as many as eight teams to identify those behind the stone-pelting.
Rana further explained that a total of around 1,500 police personnel were roped in for bandobast duties during Jagan Mohan Reddy’s bus campaign and along with the additional forces at identified problematic locations.
Clarifying on why power supply was disconnected at the place of incident, Rana asserted that it was done as a measure of safety for the chief minister. He explained that electrical wires and other cables in the area crisscrossed, posing a high probability of electrocution. “The allegations claiming that power was disconnected intentionally are completely baseless. It is a standard procedure during any VIP campaign on a bus or open top vehicle,” he maintained.
Asked whether the accused used an airgun or slingshot to attack Jagan, he said that there was no evidence to this effect. “We are assuming that the attacker might have picked the stone and hurled it at the CM when he reached the school around 8.06 pm on Saturday. The police are examining the attack from all possible angles. We have made a thorough inspection of the crime scene and collected evidence,” he added.
Rana further said that so far 56 persons in the locality were called for questioning and teams are carrying on door-to-door interrogation. “CCTV camera clippings from 24 locations are being examined. In addition, we are taking the statements of live witness accounts into consideration,” he said.