Comment | Politics around Andhra Pradesh custodial death

A view of the Krishna Lanka Police Station in Vijayawada, which has come under intense public and investigative scrutiny over the alleged custodial death of Gade Sai Krishna. | Photo credit: GN Rao

The recent alleged death of a person in custody at Krishnalanka police station in Vijayawada in NTR district of Andhra Pradesh is turning out to be a major political issue.

Gade Sai Krishna, who police say has a criminal past, was picked up by Circle Inspector of Krishnalanka Police Station, SSVV Nagaraju, from his Markapuram residence on May 9 for questioning in connection with some old cases. He has been missing since then. After repeated visits to the police station to inquire about her son’s whereabouts, G. Vijaya Lakshmi, Sai Krishna’s mother, filed a habeas corpus petition in the Andhra Pradesh High Court on June 2. On the plea, the court directed the NTR police commissionerate to produce Sai Krishna by June 15.

Meanwhile, voices of protest have grown louder and opposition parties including the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and the Congress have left no stone unturned in blaming the administration and the government. They framed the narrative as one of torture and death in custody, which they claimed was covered up by the police.

Ever since the incident gained prominence, former Chief Minister and YSRCP President Jagan Mohan Reddy has sought to highlight what he describes as police excesses under the ruling parties, even going to the extent of accusing the government of running a “Red Book”. It may be recalled that during the 2024 by-elections, the current IT Minister Nara Lokesh talked about the ‘Red Book’, suggesting that he had recorded the incidents and names of people who allegedly committed excesses during the YSRCP government and would deal with them appropriately when in power.

Same manual?

Not so long ago, during the 2024 election campaign, a similar case of murder became the Achilles heel of the then Chief Minister Jagan Reddy. His own Member of the Legislative Council (MLC), Ananta Satya Udaya Bhaskar, popularly known as Ananta Babu, was implicated in the murder of his driver Subrahmanyam.

Chandrababu Naidu, then in the opposition, and Jana Sena Party (JSP) leader Pawan Kalyan made the issue a major political point during their election campaign. As the deceased was a Dalit, they targeted Mr. Reddy and his party leaders by accusing them of bias against the Dalit community. The issue became a major political plank for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the run-up to the 2024 election campaign.

While the incident may not have been the tipping point for Mr. Reddy’s electoral defeat, it did play a role and may have contributed to the polarization of Dalit voters, particularly in Godavari districts where the community has a significant vote share.

While Ananta Babu’s case has turned into a caste-based political narrative, Sai Krishna’s case may not turn into one. Both the accused and the victim belong to the same community and there is no apparent political angle to it, although the opposition is trying its best to give it a political spin. What exactly happened to Sai Krishna is still unknown as neither his whereabouts nor his body (if dead) have been found.

Meanwhile, the seasoned Mr. Naidu has taken stock of the situation and seems to be dealing with it decisively. The Chief Minister investigated the incident in detail and ordered DGP Harish Kumar Gupta to suspend Mr. Nagaraja. Subsequently, the police registered a case of murder against CI and he was taken into custody on June 23.

Further, the government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the alleged illegal detention, custodial death and destruction of evidence in the Sai Krishna case. Mr. Naidu also met the mother of the missing youth and assured her of a transparent investigation.

The task of the ruling alliance is to prevent the controversy from turning into a larger political debate. While the authorities concerned have so far taken the necessary steps and set the tone of the narrative, much depends on expediting the investigation and bringing it to its logical conclusion before the opposition can turn it into a political rallying point in the coming days.

sumit.b@thehindu.co.in

Published – 29 Jun 2026 0:35 AM IST