Nandyal tragedy: TDP decries bid to cover-up

Amaravati: Telugu Mahila state president Vangalapudi Anitha on Tuesday accused the YSRCP government of conspiring to suppress the Nandyal family suicide case by not giving suitable punishment to the police officials who drove the family to take the extreme step.

Anitha asked how the CI and the head constable could get bail within 12 hours of their arrest if charges were made against them under Section 306 for abetment of suicide. In this case, all the four members of Abdul Salam's family took a selfie video and blamed the CI and the HC for harassing and driving them to end their lives.

Addressing a press conference here, the TDP leader expressed surprise that the ruling YSRCP leaders were acting shamelessly using their usual tricks to divert the attention of the public. Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, who describes himself as a brother to the Minorities and weaker sections' sisters, should now explain how the policemen could get bail so easily. This went totally contrary to the demand of Salam's parents who wanted maximum punishment to be awarded to the guilty policemen. But, the YSRCP was unabashedly talking about how the government swiftly responded and announced Rs 25 lakh for the deceased family.

Anitha deplored that the home minister and the DGP boasted of speedy arrest of the policemen but, even before their statement reached the people, the CI and the head constable let off on bail. "The YSRCP Minorities leaders hailed Jagan for arresting the policemen. They should now respond on the speediest bail given to the guilty officials. Suspicions also arose whether Section 306 was slapped against the policemen or not. Amaravati capital city farmers did not abet any suicide and they just expressed protest, but they were jailed without being able to get bail for the last 19 days. Just for making comments on social media, the Opposition sympathisers were being put in jail without bail for over 10 days. Former minister Kollu Ravindra was implicated in a murder case and jailed for over 42 days," she pointed out.

Anitha wondered why the Chief Minister did not utter a single word of sympathy on the Salam family suicide despite the fact that he always boasts of having total support of the Minorities and weaker sections. Salam was implicated in a robbery case at the jewellery shop he was working in 2019. She said shop owner Gangisetti Sridhar happened to be a close follower of local MLA Silpa Kishore Reddy. The owner should have got CCTV cameras. But an innocent Minority worker was implicated and harassed to the point to committing suicide along with whole family, she said.