Soon after retired IPS officer AB Venkateswara Rao’s intervention, Kakinada District SP Bindu Madhav has ordered a retrial in the murder case of Dalit driver Veedhi Subramaniam. Orders were issued on Monday appointing IPS officer and Kakinada Sub-Divisional Police Officer Manish Devaraj Patil as the investigating officer.
The investigation report should be submitted to the District SP and DGP within 60 days. If necessary, he directed that an investigation should be conducted after obtaining permission from the relevant court and an additional charge sheet should be filed in the court.
Earlier in the day, AB Venkateswara Rao expressed regret over the previous government’s grave injustice to the family of Dalit driver, who was killed by YSRCP MLC Anantha Babu during the YS Jaganmohan Reddy’s regime and deplored over the fact that no justice has been done even 10 months after the formation of the coalition government.
He visited Subramaniam’s family members in their hometown of Gollalamamidada, Pedapudi mandal, Kakinada district on Monday. Later, he went to the SP along with them and requested that the case be re-investigated. ABV said that he would meet government officials if necessary on behalf of the victims of the previous government and he would protest if they did not respond.
After examining the details of the Subramaniam murder case, he said that this is an investigation that will remain a stain in the history of the state police department. He said that he had never seen such an investigation in his working life. He alleged that the FIR and the charge sheet have no connection.
The former state intelligence chief accused that YSRCP leaders of manipulating the police in the murder case of driver Subramaniam. It may be recalled that on the night of May 19, 2022, a Dalit youth who worked as a driver for YSRCP MLC Anantha Babu killed Veedhi Subramaniam and delivered his body to the door causing a sensation.
The then SP Ravindranath Babu revealed in a media conference that MLC Anantha Babu had admitted that he had committed the murder. Anantha Babu was sent to Rajamahendravaram Central Jail on remand. Ananthababu, who was later released on interim bail, has been roaming around for two years.
The victim’s family is demanding that the CBI conduct an investigation into the murder case to get justice for them and take action against MLC Anantha Babu. After the coalition government came to power, the victim’s family was provided with compensation and Muppalla Subbarao was appointed as a special advocate for legal advice.
Now that the responsibility of re-investigation of the case has been handed over to an IPS officer, the YSRCP MLC Anantha Babu seems to be in a tight spot.