The ACB court on Saturday extended the remand of former labour minister and TDP deputy floor leader in the State Assembly Kinjarapu Atchannaidu.
The remand has been extended till July 10 as the 14-day judicial custody ended on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the ACB sleuths’ three-day interrogation of Atchnnaidu too ended on Saturday. During the three days, the ACB interrogated Atchannaidu in the Guntur General Hospital where he is currently undergoing treatment for the second surgery he underwent recently. The ACB sleuths interrogated Atchnnaidu for about 10 hours and 30 minutes spread over the three days, three hours on the first day, five hours the second day and two hours and 30 minutes the third day.
It may be recalled that Atchannaidu was arrested on June 12 in an early morning swoop from his residence in Tekkali in Srikakulam district. Around 300 police personnel circled Atchannaidu’s residence, some of them even scaled the compound wall, barged in and arrested. The TDP leader at the time of arrest underwent piles surgery.
Despite the surgery, the TDP leader was made to travel more than 500 kms from his home town to Guntur and forced to sit in a car for over 15 hours. Atchannaidu was arrested in the ESI scam that relates to the purchase of drugs, medicines, medical kits and furniture.
The Vigilance and Enforcement directorate found irregularities in the procurement of drugs, medicines and medical kits. However, Vigilance and Enforcement directorate in its report named three directors of IMS, but Atchnnaidu’s name was not mentioned in the report. The state government later ordered a CID probe.
Atchannaidu had to endure the ordeal throughout the journey. He was later admitted to Guntur General Hospital. The doctors had to perform a second surgery as the bleeding did not stop.
TDP president and former CM N Chandrababu Naidu termed the arrest as kidnap and slammed the Jagan government for targeting TDP leaders in an act of political vendetta. Naidu held the state government responsible for the worsening of Atchnnaidu’s health condition. Naidu had also met Governor Bishwabhushan Harichandan to apprise him of the government’s excesses and increasing violation of human rights in Andhra Pradesh.
Even Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy too vehemently criticised the Jagan government for enforcing what he called ‘police raj’ in Andhra Pradesh with the ruling YSRCP foisting false cases and arresting the opposition leaders.
