Andhra orders reinvestigation into murder of YSRCP MLC's driver

Amaravati, April 22 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Police on Tuesday ordered a re-investigation of the murder of a driver by YSRCP MLC Ananta Uday Bhaskar in Kakinada.

Kakinada DSP Manish Devraj Patil, an IPS officer, has been appointed as the investigation officer.

Kakinada Superintendent of Police G. Bindu Madhav has directed Patil to submit a report to the Director General of Police (DGP) in two months.

The SP has also asked the investigating officer to take the court’s permission, if required.

The development came a day after former IPS officer A. B. Venkateswara Rao called on the SP and demanded a thorough probe into the case.

Venkateswara Rao, who was suspended during YSRCP rule, recently launched a campaign titled ‘Jagan never again’, aimed at exposing the alleged misdeeds and injustices during Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s tenure.

YSRCP leader and Kakinada MLC Ananta Uday Bhaskar, also known as Ananta Babu, had allegedly murdered his driver Veedhi Subrahmanyam, a Dalit, and dumped his body at his residence in 2022.

After the TDP-led coalition government came to power last year, it started focusing on the reinvestigation of cases registered the YSRCP rule.

Last week, the government appointed advocate Muppalla Subba Rao as special counsel to assist in the case.

Ananta Babu had pushed the deceased during an argument, resulting in his fall and death on the night of May 19, 2022.

The MLC also allegedly inflicted injuries on Subrahmanyam’s body to present it as a death in a road accident. However, the driver’s family refused to believe his version and lodged a complaint with the police.

The MLC was arrested, and the YSRCP had subsequently suspended him from the party.

The MLC had told police that Subrahmanyam was in an inebriated condition, and he pulled him up for not giving up bad habits. This angered the driver, who questioned him. Enraged over this, the MLC held him by the neck and pushed him back. Subrahmanyam fell down and sustained head injuries. When the driver tried to hit back, the MLC pushed him again, and this time, the driver received a grievous head injury.

The MLC told police that he gave water to Subrahmanyam, but a few minutes after taking a sip, he was unresponsive. The legislator then thought of showing the incident as a road accident. He carried the body in the car to a dumping yard, where he inflicted injuries on the body with sticks.

The MLC later carried the body to Subrahmanyam’s house and told his family members that he had died in a road accident. After seeing the nature of the injuries on the body, they refused to believe his version. There was an argument between them, and the MLC subsequently left the place, leaving behind the body in his car.

Ananta Babu was released on bail in December 2022.

--IANS

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