3 held in Animal Husbandry Dy Director murder case

Kadapa (YSR district): The police on Monday claimed to have cracked the mystery behind the murder of Animal Husbandry Department official in Kadapa district with the arrest of three men, including an employee in the same department.

The body of Kadapa Animal Husbandry Deputy Director Chinna Acchanna (58) was found at Guvvalacheruvu Ghat in Ramapuram mandal of Annamayya district on March 24, 12 days after he went missing.

The murder of a Dalit official in the Chief Minister's home district had triggered a row with opposition parties and some Dalit groups staging protests. A special panel of Kadapa and Annamayya district police cracked the case. Kadapa's SP KKN Anburajan on Monday told reporters that Subhash Chandrabose (43), working in the same department as assistant surgeon, committed the crime with the help of two others.

According to police, Chandrabose had differences with Acchanna over some departmental issues and had developed a grouse after the latter had removed him from the Comprehensive Financial Management System (CFMC), stopped his salary, and later surrendered his post to the government. Police also arrested Chenna Krishna (43) and Balaji Nayak (26) in the murder case. The SP revealed that Chandrabose, along with two others, hatched the murder plot at a lodge in Porumamilla.

On March 12, when Acchanna was returning from prayers at a church, the accused kidnapped him and took him to Guvvalacheruvu Ghat in a car. They later murdered him near the gGhat. The assailants threw Acchanna's mobile phone on a hill at another place.

The SP said the police cracked the case with the help of phone call data of the accused. The police investigations were on to know if any other person was involved. The murder of the Dalit official had sparked an outrage.

Leaders of the Left parties, Jana Sena, Lok Satta, BSP and BC leaders had staged a protest in front of the Animal Husbandry Department office demanding authorities to speed up the inquiry and set up a committee headed by a sitting judge.

They alleged that the apathy of authorities led to the death of the Dalit employee. They further alleged that although Acchanna's son complained to the police on March 12, the police didn't take any action.

On March 12, Achanna's son Klinter Chakraborty filed a complaint with the Kadapa One Town Police. He had also named a few colleagues of Acchanna for harassing him and passing casteist remarks.

Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi (MRPS) leader Manda Krishna Madiga demanded a probe into the case by a sitting judge. He alleged that police took no action on the complaint by Achanna's family for 12 days. He said the police booked a case only after his body was found. He warned that if any attempt was made to shield the culprit, MPRS would launch a State-wide protest.