Amaravati, Oct 17 (IANS): YSR Congress Party leader Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy on Thursday appeared before police for questioning in the case relating to the 2021 attack on the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) central office.
In response to the notice issued by Mangalagiri Rural police station, the former advisor to the government appeared before the investigating officers.
Accompanied by his lawyer P. Sudhakar Reddy and MLC Lella Appi Reddy, he reached the police station. The lawyer insisted that he be allowed to be present during the questioning of Ramakrishna Reddy, but the police refused.
The police officers told Sudhakar Reddy that he had to get the court’s permission to be present during the questioning.
DSP, Mangalagiri, Murali Krishna and CI, Rural, Srinivasa Rao were questioning the YSR Congress Party General Secretary.
The police have already questioned some YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leaders in connection with the October 19, 2021 attack on the TDP central office. A large number of supporters of YSRCP attacked the TDP office on October 19, 2021, after TDP spokesperson Kommareddy Pattabhi Ram had made some objectionable comments against the then Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.
After the TDP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) came to power this June, police launched a fresh investigation into the cases.
YSRCP's former MLC Nandigama Suresh, MLCs Appi Reddy and Talasila Raghuram, and party leader Devineni Avinash were among those named in the TDP office attack case. Police have questioned them a few times.
Director General of Police Ch. Dwaraka Tirumala Rao had Tuesday confirmed that the Guntur Superintendent of Police issued a lookout notice against Ramakrishna Reddy in an old case. The YSRCP leader was stopped by immigration officials in New Delhi Airport on Monday when he returned from abroad and was on his way to board a flight to Andhra Pradesh, due to a lookout notice against him. However, he questioned the officials why there was a lookout notice against him when he returned from abroad and why it was not there when he went abroad. He termed the Delhi airport incident political persecution, questioning why authorities stopped him at the airport despite his having High Court protection from legal action until October 25.
The YSRCP leader said he travelled to Bali with his family on October 7 and returned to Delhi on October 14. Upon landing at Delhi Airport, he was stopped by immigration officials due to an LOC issued by the Guntur SP, which he argued was unnecessary since he was returning to India, not fleeing. He said that the incident caused him to miss his flight to Vijayawada, forcing him to travel the next morning.