The Andhra Pradesh police on Friday night held Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader and former state minister Kollu Ravindra in connection with the murder of a leader of the ruling YSRCP.
Ravindra was detained in Tuni in East Godavari district when he was heading towards Visakhapatnam. A police team from Krishna district stopped the TDP leader and took him into custody. He was being brought to Vijayawada.
The former minister has been held in connection with the murder of M Bhaskar Rao, a close associate of Transport Minister Perni Venkataramaiah.
Bhaskar Rao, a former Machilipatnam market yard chairman, was stabbed to death by four unidentified persons in broad daylight in the fish market in Machilipatnam on June 29.
On a complaint by the slain leader's family, police had registered a case against Kollu Ravindra. Alleging that Ravindra is the mastermind behind the criminal conspiracy, Bhaskar Rao's widow had demanded his immediate arrest.
The police have already arrested three persons in connection with the murder case.
Meanwhile, TDP president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu has condemned Ravindra's detainment. He said that taking him into custody without even preliminary investigation is an act of vendetta politics by the YSRCP.
He said that the state did not see these many atrocities even during the Emergency.
"Never before were leaders booked in so many wrongful cases or the opposition targeted to this extent until now. It was unprecedented that so many leaders are being put in jail like this," he said.
ఎమర్జెన్సీలో కూడా ఇన్ని అరాచకాలు జరగలేదు. ఇంతమందిని తప్పుడు కేసులలో ఇరికించలేదు. ప్రతిపక్షాలను ఇంతగా టార్గెట్ చేయలేదు. ఇంతమంది నాయకులను జైళ్లకు పంపలేదు. బీసిలంటేనే వైసిపి పగబట్టింది. (2/3)#AnotherBCLeaderHarassedByYCP#WeStandWithKolluRavindra
— N Chandrababu Naidu #StayHomeSaveLives (@ncbn) July 3, 2020
The leader of opposition alleged that YSRCP adopted a 'vengeful attitude' towards backward classes with 'wrongful cases' being filed against senior TDP leaders Atchannaidu, Ayyannapatrudu, Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, and Kollu Ravindra being the examples.
Naidu called Ravindra's family members and gave an assurance that he and the party will stand by them.