Kadapa superintendent of police Harshavardhan Raju had to pay the penalty for letting off a social media activist of YSR Congress party Varra Ravindra Reddy from Pulivendula after arresting him in connection with abusive and vulgar postings on chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu and others.
Ravindra Reddy, said to be a close associate of party president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy’s wife Bharati Reddy, was accused of posting and circulating derogatory and vulgar remarks on social media during the YSRCP regime.
These remarks were directed against various politicians, including the Chandrababu Naidu, Nara Lokesh, Vangalapudi Anitha, APCC chief YS Sharmila, and her cousin Dr Suneetha Narreddy.
While several cases were booked against him in Mangalagiri and Hyderabad, no police action was initiated against him until now.
On Tuesday night, the Kadapa Taluk police took Varra Ravindra Reddy into custody and brought him to the police station for questioning. However, they released him after serving him 41-A notices.
This dramatic release of Varra Ravindra Reddy on Wednesday morning reportedly attracted the wrath of chief minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu and DGP Dwaraka Tirumala Rao.
The issue of the police releasing him camp up for discussion during the cabinet meeting. Naidu, who took serious note of it, instructed Director General of Police to take strong action in this regard.
On instructions from the DGP, Kurnool range deputy inspector general Koya Praveen came to Kadapa and spoke to Raju.
It was suspected that the SP was forced to order release of Ravindra Reddy following a call from Jagan’s cousin and Kadapa MP Y S Avinash Reddy.
Later in the evening, the DGP is learnt to have issued orders transferring the Kadapa SP for his alleged negligence. The local police inspector was also sacked within hours for allowing Ravindra Reddy to disappear.
Following Naidu’s intervention, Kadapa police once again reportedly tried to arrest the YSRCP social media activist but couldn't locate him.
The district police wing is understood to have taken some of Varra Ravindra Reddy's family members to the CK Dinne police station to question them and find out his whereabouts.
