The CBI investigation into the macabre murder of Y S Vivekananda Reddy, brother of late YS Rajasekhara Reddy and uncle of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, on Tuesday entered the fourth day.
The CBI sleuths on Tuesday visited Y S Vivekananda Reddy’s residence in Pulivendula to discuss the case details with slain leader’s wife Sowbhagyamma and his daughter Sunitha. They questioned Sowbhagyamma and Sunitha for more than four hours. The CBI officers have also conducted a thorough search of Vivekananda’s Pulivendula residence to find more clues.
Nearly 16 months after the murder of Viveka, the CBI began its investigation into the murder on July 18. The CBI slueths have already taken all the details of the case from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) which was set up by the previous government to probe the murder. The SIT has handed over the files and records related to the murder of the slain Congress leader to the CBI slueths.
The previous government had constituted three SITs to probe the murder. At least 1,300 witnesses were examined and narco analysis was conducted on three suspects. With the SIT probe making no headway, Sowbhagyamma and Sunitha petitioned the High Court sought a CBI probe into the murder citing the tardy progress of SIT investigation. On March 10, 2020, the Andhra Pradesh High Court entrusted the investigation to the CBI.
Nearly a year after Jagan Mohan Reddy became the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, the CBI investigation did not make any headway into the murder of 68-year-old Vivekananda Reddy who was hacked to death by unidentified assailants inside his house. Viveka, as he was popularly known, was murdered ahead of the assembly and parliamentary elections. Viveka had served as a former minister, two-time MLA and a two-time MP.
