Andhra court allows fresh probe in Dalit man's murder by Jagan Reddy's party MLC

Andhra Pradesh Special Court for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes cases in Rajahmundry has permitted further investigation into the 2022 murder of a Dalit youth allegedly committed by YSRCP MLC Ananta Uday Bhaskar.

The court directed that a supplementary charge sheet must be filed within 90 days. The order has cleared the path for the re-investigation announced earlier by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in the state.

Ananta Uday Bhaskar, also known as Ananta Babu, represents Kakinada in the Legislative Council and is a prominent YSRCP leader. He had allegedly murdered his former driver, Veedhi Subrahmanyam, a Dalit, during an altercation in May 2022 and attempted to stage the death as a road accident.

According to police records, on the night of May 19, 2022, Ananta Babu and Subrahmanyam got into an argument, during which the legislator allegedly pushed him. The initial push caused Subrahmanyam to fall and sustain a head injury. When the driver attempted to retaliate, he was allegedly pushed again, this time receiving a grievous head injury that proved fatal. Ananta Babu told police he had offered water to the injured man, but Subrahmanyam became unresponsive shortly after.

In an effort to disguise the circumstances of the death, Ananta Babu allegedly carried the body to a dumping yard and inflicted injuries using sticks to make it appear as though Subrahmanyam had died in a road accident. The legislator then transported the body to Subrahmanyam’s house and told the family he had died in a vehicular mishap. The family, however, noticed the suspicious injuries and refused to accept the explanation. A confrontation ensued, following which Ananta Babu left, abandoning the body in his car.

Following a complaint from the family, Ananta Babu was arrested, and the YSRCP suspended him from the party. However, as the investigation officer failed to submit a charge sheet within 90 days, he was released on default bail in December 2022.

After coming to power last year, the TDP-led coalition government ordered a fresh investigation into the case in April. IPS officer and Deputy Superintendent of Police of Kakinada, Manish Devraj Patil, was appointed as the new investigation officer. He sought permission from the court to resume the probe.

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