Andhra: Sajjala appears for questioning in TDP office attack case

Asserting that he was not in Mangalagiri on the day of the attack, the YSRC leader maintained that he was in Badvel, campaigning for the by-election.
YSRC general secretary Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy
YSRC general secretary Sajjala Ramakrishna ReddyFile Photo
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GUNTUR: YSRC senior leader Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy appeared for investigation at Mangalagiri Rural police station on Thursday in connection with the attack on the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) central office in 2021.

An advisor to the previous YSRC government, Sajjala has been listed as accused number 120 in the case.

He was accompanied by his lawyer and former additional advocate general (AAG) Ponnavolu Sudhakar Reddy, and former minister Meruga Nagarjuna.

Police refused the lawyer’s request to be present during Sajjala’s questioning, stating that he had to get the court’s permission for the same.

Speaking to reporters after the questioning, Sajjala slammed the TDP-led NDA government for foisting false cases against YSRC leaders.

Alleging political vendetta, he accused the government of silencing the opposition and trying to distract the public from the growing popularity of YSRC and its leader YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Asserting that he was not in Mangalagiri on the day of the attack, the YSRC leader maintained that he was in Badvel, campaigning for the by-election.

Stressing that YSRC leaders are determined to fight back against the illegal cases, he demanded the government stop harassing them or face consequences.

Further, he claimed that a Look Out Circular (LOC) was lodged against him to harass him. Terming the developments politically motivated, Sajjala alleged that the government’s actions were a deliberate attempt to restrict the movement of YSRC leaders and suppress their political freedom.

Sajjala did not cooperate with investigation fully: CI

Noting that investigation into the case has been transferred to the State Crime Investigation Department (APCID), the YSRC leader said this could lead to more unlawful arrests.

Mangalagiri police had issued a notice to Sajjala on Wednesday, asking him to appear for investigation in the case pertaining to the attack on the TDP headquarters. It may be recalled that the High Court had extended interim protection from arrest to the YSRC leader and directed him to cooperate in the investigation of the offence.

Speaking to the issue, Mangalagiri Rural CI Srinivasa Rao told newsmen that Sajjala did not fully cooperate with the investigation.

He explained that over 120 accused have been identified in the TDP office attack case over the past four months. “While investigating another accused, we found evidence implicating Sajjala in the attack. However, he refused to answer our questions,” he added.

Stating that Sajjala’s responses were evasive, the police officer said that he refused to hand over his phone when asked. However, the police maintained that they had evidence pointing to Sajjala’s involvement in the case.

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