TDP official spokesman, Kommareddy Pattabhiram, on Wednesday lodged a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in New Delhi with regard to the recent incident that took place in Gannavaram.

The ruling YSRCP ruffians not only attacked the local TDP office but also he was taken into custody after which he was subjected to severe mental and physical torture, Pattabhi mentioned in his complaint to the NHRC. Accompanied by his family members, Pattabhi met the member of the NHRC, Rajiv Jain, and personally handed over the complaint to him.

He mentioned in the complaint that the police, under the directions from the Krishna District Superintendent of Police (SP), Jashuva, arrested him and even snatched the hand phone from him. “I was taken around the Gudivada town by a vehicle, even in some deserted areas, for hours together. Later, under the directions from the SP I was shifted to the Thotlavalluru police station, he said.

Pattbhi wrote in the complaint that in the police station power supply was disconnected and the staff members were sent outside only to beat him and torture him physically for over 40 minutes by three persons who were wearing masks. “Though I was taken into custody on 20th, till 21st evening my family members were not informed of my arrest,” Pttabhi pointed out in the complaint.

Stating that his appeal for medical tests, including MRI scan, were not permitted, Pattabhi mentioned in the complaint that his wife too was kept under house arrest. Without allowing his wife to move out of his house, the police subjected her to mental torture, he said and added that till now attacks took place four times on his house and on him personally.

Pattabhi explained to the NHRC member on the attacks on various leaders of the Opposition parties in the past four years and the illegal arrests of some leaders from these parties. “Rajiv Jain, who patiently heard my appeal, promised immediate necessary action on my complaint,” Pattabhi later informed the media.

Pattabhiram made a fervent appeal to the NHRC to conduct an inquiry and take proper action against the police officials concerned for subjecting him to mental and physical torture violating the human rights. Rajiv Jain asked his staff members to immediately register a complaint, Pattabhi said.

The SC, ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act special court on Friday granted bail for TDP spokesman, Kommareddy Pattabhiram and 13 others in the Gannavaram case. The special court judge directed Pattabhi and others to personally visit the Gannavaram police station every Thursday and sign the register for next three months.

Pattabhiram’s counsel, Posani Venkateswarlu, argued for the TDP leaders and others in the case. The Gannavaram police have booked cases against Pattabiram and others under SC, ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989 for alleged assault on Circle Inspector Kanaka Rao in Gannavaram.

Pattabhiram and others are currently serving the remand period in the Rajamahendravaram Central Jail.

Pattabhiram visited Gannavaram two weeks ago where he challenged local TDP dissident MLA Vallabhaneni Vamsi Mohan. The MLA and his men attacked the TDP office where Pattabhiram was addressing the media.

The TDP office was attacked, and a vehicle parked outside was set on fire by the MLA’s supporters. However, in the melee, Pattabhiram is said to have assaulted the CI causing bleeding injuries to him.

The police booked cases against Pattabhiram and shifted him to Gudlavalleru police station in Krishna district on the same day. However, on the next day, he was produced in the Gannavaram court. When he complained that the police had beaten him, the magistrate ordered a medical examination.

Pattabhiram was taken to the government general hospital in Vijayawada for medical tests. It was proved that he had no injuries. He was then sent to the Gannavaram jail from where he was sent to the Rajamahendravaram Central jail.

TDP spokesman Kommareddy Pattabhiram, on Tuesday told the judge at Gannavaram in Krishna district, that he was beaten up by three unidentified men in the Thotlavalluru police station. He said that they covered their faces and beat him up for half-an-hour.

Pattabhi, along with 10 others was arrested by the Gannavaram police following a complaint by local inspector Kanaka Rao, who received bleeding injuries in a group clash. The Inspector, in his complaint, said that Pattabhi had made provocative statements which led to the group clash.

Pattabhi was taken to the Thotlavalluru police station on Monday evening. He told the additional junior civil judge that there were no lights in the police station. He was directly taken to a dark room, where three persons covering up their faces had beaten him.

He tried to show his swelling hands in support of his allegation. He also told the judge and his advocate that the police have used third degree treatment on him in the police station.

Meanwhile, his wife, Chandana, expressed fear over the safety of her husband. She alleged that police might drug him now in their custody which will have health issues at a later stage. “The police can do anything to harm my husband,” she alleged.

The TDP leaders also expressed doubts over the safety of Pattabhi. They feared that the police might eliminate the party leader, who has been outspoken and exposing the criminal politics of the ruling party and failures of the YSR Congress government.

Party leader, Kesineni Chinna, accused the government and the police of targeting Pattabhi for his criticism of the government. The TDP leaders said that the government would be held responsible for the safety of Pattabhi and other TDP workers who were arrested on Monday.

The Krishna district police on Tuesday produced TDP spokesman, Kommareddy Pattabhiram, and other TDP leaders at the local court in Gannavaram. Pattabhiram and others were taken into custody at Gannavaram during a clash between the TDP and YSR Congress leaders on Monday.

The TDP office was damaged and a car parked at the TDP office was also set on fire in the clash. The police shifted Pattabhiram to Thotlavalluru police station, while others were shifted to Machilipatnam police station after the arrest.

Krishna district SP Joshua told media persons that they have booked cases against the leaders of two parties who clashed at the TDP office in Gannavaram on Monday. The SP said that they were looking into the CCTV footage and other video clips of the incidents.

The SP also alleged that TDP leader Pattabhiram made provocative statements which led to the clash between the two groups.

Meanwhile, Pattabhiram’s wife, Chandana, accused the police of kidnapping her husband. She also alleged that the police have tortured her husband in the police station at the behest of Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and DGP K V Rajendranadh Reddy.

When police visited her house and told her that her husband was arrested and being produced in the court, Chandana expressed fears over the safety of her husband. She tried to go to the DGP office to hold a protest, which was stopped by the police. The police restricted her movements and are guarding her from moving out.

TDP leaders Kesineni Chinna, Ravi Venkateswara Rao and other leaders reached Gannavaram, when Pattabhiram and others were produced in the local court. The TDP leaders called for Challo Gannavaram programme, which was spoiled by the police.

The police imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 and did not allow TDP leaders to hold protests or take out rallies in the town.

The whole power sector in Andhra Pradesh got destroyed in the past three-and-half years and the total debt burden on the Discoms touched a whooping Rs 50,000 cr during the YSRCP rule, stated TDP spokesperson, Kommareddy Pattabhiram, on Tuesday.

Pattabhiram told media persons that Minister, Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, during a review on the power sector on Monday claimed that the Electricity Department is achieving excellent results and all the consumers are happy. He also boasted himself that radical changes have been introduced in the power sector. The fact is that the whole sector got completely damaged after Jagan Mohan Reddy became the Chief Minister of the State, Pattabhi remarked.

“During Chandrababu Naidu regime not even a single rupee was charged from the consumers and quality power was supplied for 24 hours and 365 days. The total debt burden on the Discoms in five years was a mere Rs 4,188 cr,” Pattabi pointed out. The TDP supremo, who brought in several changes in the power sector, supplied free electricity by improving the working conditions of the Discoms,” he said.

Pattabhi dared Peddyreddy to prove with evidence that he was wrong. When the TDP came to power in 2014, the total debts of the Discoms was Rs 13,834 cr and when the TDP’s rule ended in 2018-19 the debt reached a mere Rs 18,022 cr. This means the debts during the TDP regime was only Rs 4,188 cr, he pointed out.

However, after Jagan came to power in 2019 and till 2022 the total debts reached from Rs 18,022 cr to Rs 50,004 cr. Hence, in the past three-and-half years, Jagan raised Rs 31,981 cr loans in the name of Discoms, which clearly indicates that on an average he raised Rs 1250 cr loan per month after he became the Chief Minister of the State, Pattabhi noted.

Is this the development in power sector as claimed by the Minister concerned, Pattabhiram asked and felt that despite raising these loans the situation has come to such a pass that a power holiday was declared in the State. Besides raising thousands of crores of loans, power charges too have been revised at least seven times in the past three-and-half years thus bringing an additional burden of Rs 17,000 cr on the consumers, he stated.

During the 2014-19 the burden on the Discoms increased by only 30 percent from 2019, during the YSRCP rule the burden has risen to 177 per cent, Pattabhiram maintained. Not only quality power is not supplied to the consumers but also with the undeclared power-cuts and installing meters to motor pump-sets they are being subjected to other kinds of difficulties, the TDP leader stated.

Pattabiram demanded Jagan and Peddireddy to reply with evidence how the money looted from the power consumers amounting to almost Rs 50,000 cr has been diverted.

TDP spokesperson, Kommareddy Pattabhi Ram, on Wednesday said that the Jagan Mohan Reddy government in the State is trying to implement draconian laws by bringing in orders like GO No-1 through which the ruling party is trying to create obstructions to meetings being organised by the Opposition parties.

Pattabhi Ram said that the GO No-1 is totally anti-Constitutional, and it denies the fundamental rights of the parties to organise public meetings and hold rallies. By enforcing such anti-Constitutional laws, the Jagan Reddy Government is trying to create hurdles to the meeting being organised by TDP supremo, Nara Chandrababu Naidu, in his home constituency, Kuppam.

Stating that the TDP strongly opposes this anti-Constitutional step, Pattabhi Ram said that the party will take the issue to the public domain. He also pointed out that the YSRCP, on Tuesday organised a massive rally in Rajahmundry, particularly by none other than the Chief Minister himself, and asked how a GO which does not apply to the ruling party can forcibly be applied to the Opposition parties like the TDP.

Making it clear that the TDP will go ahead with the programmes in Kuppam, Pattabhiram said if the ruling party makes any efforts to forcibly create trouble, the people will respond suitably.

Chief Minister, Jagan Mohan Reddy, has made Rs 221 cr in the name of tabs that were distributed as his birthday gifts on Wednesday, said TDP spokesman, Komareddy Pattabhiram.

Talking to media persons, Pattabhiram explained that the Minimum Retail Price (MRP) of each A7 lite Samsung Galaxy tablet with screen size of 8.7 inches is Rs 14,500 which is available on Amazon for Rs 11,999 while Jagan purchased it at Rs 13,262 each. When the tablets are purchased in bulk of lakh pieces, each tab will be available for Rs 9,000 while Jagan paid Rs 13,262 for each tab thus making a whooping Rs 221 cr in the name of distributing birthday gifts.

Pattabhiram asked as to why Jagan chose the BYJU’s Tuition Centre to be set up in the State which is harassing both the students and their parents. Is it not a fact that complaints have been lodged with the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights against this BYJU’s centre, he said and questioned Jagan why he invited the institution to the State to set up its centre here which has gone bankrupt after raising a loan of $1.2 billion.

“Even on his birthday Jagan looted the public by Rs 221 cr in the shape of tabs and this is a part of a pre-meditated scandal,” Pattabhiram felt. He is also of the opinion that the BYJU’s coaching centre is invited to the State only for commissions. A national English daily has recently published a story that pressure is mounted on this institute to repay the debts and it will be closed sooner than later, the TDP spokesman said.

Pattabhiram asked the Chief Minister as to why the AP Content Corporation, established by Chandrababu Naidu during his tenure, was forced to be closed. The TDP leader said that Jagan alone is not distributing tabs to students as similar appliances are being distributed in the States like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Haryana.

He asked what Minister, Botsa Satyanarayana, will say about the statement made by his own party leader, DL Ravindra Reddy, on the scam in the purchase of these tablets and on the agreement entered with the BYJU’s. Ravindra Reddy clearly mentioned that other States strongly opposed BYJU’s which had gone bankrupt, but Andhra Pradesh welcomed it, Pattabhiram pointed out.

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) spokesperson, Kommareddy Pattabhiram, on Monday asked as to why the Crime Investigation Department (CID) is keeping silent on the notorious scandal involving Sankalpa Siddhi organisation despite receiving enough evidence.

Talking to media persons at the party headquarters, Pattabhiram said that the massive scandal created a sensation besides Andhra Pradesh, in Karnataka and Telangana. It appears that the CID wing is deliberately neglecting the scam under the directions of some top person and is trying to safeguard someone, Pattabhiram remarked.

The management of Sankalpa Siddhi cheated the public by making false promises of getting large scale profits if they grow red sanders trees or invest in real estate ventures. There were already media reports on the involvement of the close associates of YSRCP leader, Vallabhaneni Vamsi and Kodali Naani, he stated.

When the Sankalpa Siddhi management representatives were presented before the media by Vijayawada Police Commissioner, Kranthi Rana Tata, after they were arrested, they said that the complaints were first made to the CID much before the police came to know about the scam, Pattabhiram said. The Police Commissioner too said that the complaints on the scandal were made available to the CID before the police came to know about it and even said that he was not aware of the progress on the complaints, the TDP leader said.

Pattabhiram asked as to why the CID did not investigate the case despite receiving the complaints on the scandal much before the police received the complaints. Is the CID boss, or its officials not finding time to probe the case, he asked and said that he raised this issue earlier too.

Had the CID investigated the scam on time the people would not have suffered so much losses, Pattabhiram said, adding that the CID is busy harassing innocent people and filing false cases. The primary responsibility of the CID is to control the crime and see to it that no scandals take place, he observed.