A suspected custodial death in Vijayawada has snowballed into one of Andhra Pradesh’s most serious police-accountability controversies in years, prompting murder charges against a suspended police officer and a CBI probe demand from former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.
The case centres on 25-year-old Gade Sai Krishna, a history-sheeter picked up by Vijayawada task force police around May 10 in connection with a murder case and handed over to the Krishna Lanka police station. According to his mother, Gade Vijaya Lakshmi, who repeatedly visited the station seeking information, her son was tortured in custody; she has said she heard his cries but was denied access and allegedly rebuffed by officials. The family alleges Krishna Lanka circle inspector S.S.V. Nagaraju beat Sai Krishna severely, leading to paralysis, and that he later died of his injuries. They further allege his body was secretly cremated to destroy evidence — claims that remain allegations pending investigation, though authorities have already taken significant action in response.
With no word on her son for weeks, Vijaya Lakshmi filed a habeas corpus petition in the Andhra Pradesh High Court on June 2. The court sought a police response and, dissatisfied when none was filed by the June 15 hearing, directed police to produce Sai Krishna by June 29.
Political pressure intensified after YSR Congress Party chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy met the victim’s mother on June 18. The next day, the state government suspended Nagaraju and registered a case against him under charges of murder and wrongful confinement. Sai Krishna’s family subsequently met Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who assured them the government would ensure justice; an IPS-level inquiry has been ordered.
Jagan has gone further, alleging the cover-up reaches beyond the suspended officer to senior police leadership, including the Vijayawada Police Commissioner and the state DGP, and has demanded a CBI inquiry rather than a state-led one. YSRCP leaders argue the case reflects a broader pattern of police impunity, pointing to earlier incidents in Visakhapatnam and Tenali where officers filmed themselves assaulting suspects.
The case has drawn comparisons to other high-profile Indian custodial death controversies, with commentators noting that even in past police excesses, bodies were typically handed over to families — making the alleged disappearance of Sai Krishna’s remains especially shocking to the public. With the high court’s June 29 deadline approaching and an official inquiry underway, the case is likely to remain a flashpoint in Andhra Pradesh politics in the weeks ahead.
Allegations attributed to the family and political leaders are not independently verified findings of guilt.
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