Atchnnaidu discharged, shifted to Vijayawada sub-jail

Former labour minister and TDP deputy floor leader in the State Assembly Kinjarapu Atchnnaidu on Wednesday was discharged from the Guntur General Hospital. He is shifted to Vijayawada sub-jail even as the ACB court is likely to take up Atchnnaidu’s bail petition on Thursday.

Supreme Court senior lawyer Sidharth Luthra, representing his client Atchnnaidu, has filed the bail petition. While the ACB court reserved hearing on the bail petition to Thursday, Atchnnaidu was shifted to Vijayawada sub-jail. Atchnnaidu has written to the superintendent of Guntur General Hospital that he be discharged from the hospital after his complete recovery. Further, Atchnnaidu in his letter to the superintendent noted that certain medical reports were still pending. Atchnnaidu had to undergo colonoscopy and Covid-19 tests. Despite his plea, Atchnnaidu was shifted to Vijayawada sub-jail.

TDP Srikakulam MP K Rammohan Naidu, nephew of Atchannaidu, along with senior TDP leaders rushed to the Guntur General Hospital to meet the arrested leader. However, they were not allowed to meet him. Atchnanaidu, who was encircled by a posse of policemen and hospital staff, was carted away in a wheel-chair to the ambulance. Later, he was shifted to Vijayawada sub-jail amidst sloganeering from the TDP leaders.

Rammohan Naidu questioned the wisdom of the Jagan government in shifting Atchannaidu to Vijayawada sub-jail when the ACB will be hearing his bail petition on Thursday. “Where was the need to shift Atchannaidu garu to jail. It is only a matter of one day. Clearly, the government wants to keep Atchannaidu garu at least one day in prison. This is sheer political vendetta,” Rammohan Naidu accused.

Atchnnaidu was shifted to the Vijayawada sub-jail after the ACB sleuths had completed its interrogation in the Guntur General Hospital. The interrogation had lasted 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. Earlier, the ACB court on June 27 had extended the remand of Atchannaidu till July 10.

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.