VIJAYAWADA : Asserting that he was innocent and in no way connected to the murder of former minister YS Vivekananda Reddy five years ago, Kadapa MP YS Avinash Reddy said that he and his family suffered for the past three years under false allegations.
In a point-to-point rebuttal to N Suneetha, his cousin sister and daughter of YS Vivekananda Reddy, who made startling allegations against Avinash on Monday, the Kadapa MP said he is unable to understand why he and his family were wantonly targeted.
Disputing the claims of Suneeta and YS Sharmila that his family and YS Vivekananda Reddy’s family were having a feud running between them, Avinash Reddy said nothing can be far from the truth. “Had it been true then why Viveka uncle would campaign for me? Most importantly why would I be contacted immediately after his death,” he asked.
He further asserted that the CBI’s investigation has been compromised and is full of loopholes. “How can a person, who testified that he had murdered, be made into an approver and allowed to roam free on bail? How can Suneetha’s statements before CBI and SIT keep on changing?” he questioned.
Elaborating further, Avinash said in her initial statement Suneetha said she learned of the letter found at the crime scene from her husband N Rajasekhara Reddy which was a letter purportedly written by her father mentioning driver Prasad as suspected killer. “She told CBI that it was forwarded to her husband through Vivekananda Reddy’s PA Krishna Reddy. She further said she was afraid and suspected that the letter might have been fabricated to blame Prasad and that he might be killed after the letter came out,” he added. However, she took a U-turn in her statement a month later and distanced herself from the issue of the letter, he added
Recalling what happened on the day of the incident, Avinash Reddy said that when he was on his way to Jammalamadugu for campaigning, he received a call from Shivaprakash Reddy, who is the blood brother of Sowbhagyamma, Vivekananda Reddy’s wife, that Viveka sir had died and asked him to come. “I received the phone call at around 6.26 am and I reached there by 6.30 am. Went inside, saw the body, came out and informed the police, and expressed my suspicions,” he clarified.
According to him, Yerragangi Reddy came at 7.10 am and by that time, hundreds of people were present there. “Why would I steal the evidence? If I had that motive, would I not do it, when there were only a few people when I reached there? Making illogical allegations, I am being dragged into a case that is in no way related to me,” Avinash expressed.
On Google Takeout, being shown as evidence, he said even Google itself says the programme is unreliable and it can also be fabricated. He observed that an investigation is being carried out on hearsay evidence of Dastagiri, who in the first place is an accused. He also disputed the records of WhatsApp messages that night and said he was sleeping at that time and had not attended to the phone in the first place. “Even when my mobile is in the ideal state it receives messages and none of them were from Gangireddy and there were no outgoing messages,” Avinash pointed out.
He briefed that the statement from P Rajasekhar, working in Vivekananda Reddy’s house, clearly shows that A1 to A4 in the case were very close to the former minister and that Sowbhagyamma forced him to go to Kanipakam after the murder. “Further it was also evident that for two years before his murder, Viveka uncle was neglected by his family and was under stress that he over consumed alcohol and overused cigarettes,” the Kadapa MP stated.
On the issue of the heart attack, Avinash said he never said that, and the statement given to SIT by Suneetha and her husband says that Krishna Reddy informed them of Viveka’s death and that the body was lying in the bathroom with injuries on the body. As Viveka was a heart patient, they assumed that he might have died of a cardiac arrest and asked Krishna Reddy to tell the same. “It was Suneetha and her husband who had hidden the evidence and facts,” he alleged.
The Kadapa MP also said there was never an issue regarding the Lok Sabha seat. “I was made Kadapa MP in 2014 and again in 2019. Viveka uncle even on the day before his death while campaigning for me and going door-to-door covering 300 houses, asked people to vote for his sons—Jagan and Avinash, who are like Ram Lakshman. Where all these illogical allegations are coming, I don’t understand,” he said.
Avinash alleged that his cousin sisters Sharmila and Suneetha are reading the script of TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu and acting as per his directions.