Former YSRC MLA Ramireddy Appears Before Police

Tirupati:Former MLA from Kavali constituency Ramireddy Pratap Kumar Reddy appeared at the Kavali Town II police station on Friday in connection with the 2020 Amrut Pylon demolition case.

The case pertains to the demolition of a pylon that had been inaugurated in 2018 by then Telugu Desam (TD) party general secretary Nara Lokesh. The pylon had been part of a project sanctioned by the Kavali Municipality under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT).

However, no work had commenced under the scheme. In April 2020, during the YSR Congress (YSRC) party regime, the pylon had been removed. This led to the then municipal commissioner filing a complaint, which led to filing of a case. The charges include Sections 447 (criminal trespass), 427 (mischief causing damage) and 120B read with 34 (criminal conspiracy with common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Police named 12 individuals as accused in the case, including Pratap Kumar Reddy and several other YSRCP leaders, apart from local media reporters.

Four media personnel have been arrested in the case and are in remand at Kavali Sub-Jail for the past three weeks. Pratap Kumar Reddy is listed as A8 in the case, has been granted conditional bail. He attended the police inquiry on Friday accompanied by legal counsel. Tension prevailed during the former MLA’s appearance at the police station.

In the interim, former market chairman Sukumar Reddy has turned approver in the Amrut Pylon case. This has led to police accelerating their investigation. Anticipating possible unrest when Pratap Kumar Reddy presented himself before the police, a large number of YSRC supporters gathered at the Kavali Town II police station. As a result, police deployed additional security measures in the area.