Former Member of Parliament (Kadapa) Y. S. Vivekananda Reddy was found brutally murdered at his ancestral home in Pulivendula town of Kadapa district in the early hours of Mar 15, 2019, when the general elections were just around the corner.
As the younger brother of former Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy and his representative in his absence from the constituency, ‘Viveka’, as he used to be fondly referred to, had wielded enough clout in the entire district. His brutal murder had created a sensation at that time and the ‘sentimental wave’ generated among the masses helped catapult the YSR Congress Party, founded by his nephew and Rajasekhara Reddy’s son Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy to power.
The case was initially publicised as a case of heart attack, but all of a sudden it emerged to be a case of murder in his bathroom.
Also read | More stories on Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections 2024
When the then Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government in power formed two Special Investigation Teams (SIT) to get the case probed, Mr. Jagan, as the Opposition leader, insisted on a comprehensive probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
However, after coming to power, the YSRCP government also formed a SIT, instead of approaching the CBI, to get the case probed. It was only at a later stage that the case was handed over to the CBI, in March 2020.
Taking over its reins from the SIT, the CBI grilled as many as 290 witnesses and filed its first charge sheet in October 2021, in which it named Viveka’s close friend Yerra Gangi Reddy, G. Umashankar Reddy, Y. Sunil Kumar Yadav and Shaik Dastagiri as the accused.
Dastagiri, however, chose to turn an approver in the case and presented himself in Proddatur magistrate’s court, where his statement was recorded. The CBI filed a supplementary charge sheet on June 31, 2023, based on which Devireddy Sivashankar Reddy, Uday Kumar Reddy and Y. S. Bhaskar Reddy were arrested.
Though Kadapa Member of Parliament Y. S. Avinash Reddy was also questioned by the CBI several times, he was not arrested owing to the conditional anticipatory bail granted by the Telangana High Court in May 2023.
It was then that the slain MP’s daughter Dr. Suneetha Narreddy entered the picture by challenging the High Court order in the Supreme Court. She persistently wrote to the Prime Minister’s Office, the Union Home Ministry and the CBI Director from December 2020 onwards, requesting them to expedite the case. The case is pending in the Supreme Court. Devireddy Sivashankar Reddy was recently granted conditional bail and was released. Similarly, Y. S. Bhaskar Reddy also came out on bail on medical grounds and was sent back to the jail, after the bail window ended.
Charges and counter accusations are being hurled even as the general elections of 2024 are nearby. Dr. Suneetha Narreddy and her cousin Y. S. Sharmila Reddy, younger sister of Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, have squarely blamed the MP Mr. Avinash Reddy and his father Y. S. Bhaskar Reddy of having connived to eliminate Viveka. Mr. Avinash has clearly condemned the same and said he had no role whatsoever in the murder.
Mr. Avinash told The Hindu that Vivekananda Reddy had already been campaigning for him in the constituency, as his (Avinash’s) candidature had been confirmed (but not announced by then), expressing wonder where was the need to harm him.
Meanwhile, the approver Dastagiri was jailed multiple times pertaining to different cases and his wife staged demonstration in front of the central prison and several police stations, fearing threat to his life.
It was then that Jada Shravan, chief of Jai Bheem Party secured bail for Dastagiri, who returned the favour by joining the party. Dastagiri has announced to contest against Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy in Pulivendula constituency and is actively campaigning now.
On Mar 15, 2024, commemorating Viveka’s fifth death anniversary, leaders from across the political spectrum such as the TDP, the BJP, the Jana Sena Party, the Congress and the Left parties arrived to pay tributes and also expressed support to the legal fight launched by his daughter Dr. Suneetha Narreddy.
Having taken over the reins of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC), Y.S. Sharmila Reddy declared her candidature for Kadapa Lok Sabha seat, announcing that it was her Late Viveka uncle’s dream to see her in the position. She is launching her campaign on April 5.
Meanwhile, a film ‘Vivekam’, based on the murder case, was recently released on multiple social media platforms and was widely promoted by the Opposition parties. Claiming to be based on the CBI case records, the film also bagged critical acclaim.
As the elections are fast approaching, the Opposition parties have left no chance to point an accusing finger at the State government for what they called ‘inordinate delay’ in getting the case to its logical end.
