Ex-MP Vivekananda Reddy murder: Andhra CM's uncle Bhaskar Reddy arrested
What's the story
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday arrested YS Bhaskar Reddy in connection with the 2019 murder case of his brother and former MP YS Vivekananda Reddy. Bhaskar, who is the father of incumbent Kadapa MP YS Avinash Reddy, was reportedly apprehended from his Pulivendula, Andhra Pradesh, residence. Notably, Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is a nephew of Bhaskar and Vivekananda.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Just weeks before the 2019 Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections, Vivekananda, the brother of late CM YS Rajasekhara Reddy, was found dead on March 15, 2019, at his residence in Pulivendula, Kadapa. On October 26, 2021, the CBI filed a charge sheet in the murder case and later filed a supplementary charge sheet last year on January 31.
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5th arrest in Vivekananda murder case
Bhaskar's apprehension marked the fifth individual to be arrested in the Vivekananda murder case. The Andhra politician is reportedly being shifted to Hyderabad and is set to be produced before a local CBI court, news outlet The Indian Express quoted officials as saying. Bhaskar has been charged under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 302 (murder), 201 (tampering and destroying evidence), and 120B (conspiracy).
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Here's how CBI team arrested Bhaskar
On Sunday morning, a CBI unit arrived at Bhaskar's residence with an arrest memo and handed it over to his wife, YS Lakshmi. Furthermore, officials also revealed that the central probe agency also confiscated the Andhra leader's phone. To recall, the CBI on Friday arrested Uday Reddy, an aide of Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) MP Avinash, and interrogated him in Hyderabad.
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Bhaskar, son Avinash conspired against Vivekananda: Report
Last month, the probe agency also opposed the bail petition of Sunil Yadav, another accused in the murder case, and reportedly claimed that Bhaskar and his son Avinash conspired against Vivekananda to acquire political dominance in Kadapa. The father-son duo was reportedly unhappy that even though they beat Vivekananda in the MLC polls at the time, he had started consolidating his regional political power.
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YSRCP cadres protest Bhaskar's arrest
According to the news outlet The Hindu, numerous YSRCP cadres reportedly staged a protest across the Kadapa district while expressing their resentment against the arrest and claiming Bhaskar would emerge as innocent in the murder case. Reports also claimed that Pulivendula's Poolangallu Junction also witnessed mild tension where shops were also closed to avoid any possible damage.