Suneetha Narreddy writes open letter seeking reopening of probe into her father’s murder

Suneetha Narreddy, daughter of slain former MP Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy, wrote an open letter to all Members of Parliament and MLCs and MLAs in Andhra Pradesh seeking their support for reopening the murder case and its speedy completion, while noting that her father’s soul is still crying for justice more than six years after he was killed.

She said in the letter, written on August 10 on the occasion of Rakshabandhan, that Vivekananda Reddy was brutally murdered at his residence in Pulivendula in Kadapa district in March 2019 and the perpetrators of the crime were caught but the conspirators remained untouched.

On March 15, 2019, Sakshi TV, which is managed by Y.S. Bharati Reddy, wife of Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, broadcast a news that Mr. Vivekananda Reddy died of a heart attack and several YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leaders repeated that claim on the same channel.

Ms. Suneetha Narreddy said she found her father’s body with wounds that were covered with bandages.

The Sakshi newspaper carried a full-page story the next day alleging that Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leaders were responsible for the murder. Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy even filed a writ petition in the High Court seeking a CBI probe.

During the 2019 State Assembly elections, Vivekananda Reddy’s murder became a political weapon against the TDP. The YSRCP won and Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy became the Chief Minister. He personally assured Ms. Suneetha Narreddy that the killers would be caught, saying that failure (to apprehend the culprits) would be an insult to him.

The SIT formed by the YSRCP government was reconstituted just as it neared a breakthrough, after which Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy told Ms. Suneetha Narreddy that a CBI probe was “not an option” as it might cause MP Y.S. Avinash Reddy to defect to another party.

She approached the A.P. High Court and it transferred the case to the CBI on March 11, 2020 but Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy withdrew his own petition for a CBI probe.

Noting the influence of the accused and State interference, the Supreme Court transferred the trial to Telangana on November 29, 2022, while observing that there was a larger conspiracy that required further CBI investigation. Yet, this has not happened.

Ms. Suneetha Narreddy expressed agony that, in her pursuit of justice, she knocked on every door and was harassed, falsely prosecuted and targeted by the government which her father once helped build.

“Justice is still elusive as the killers are rich and powerful. This is not only my family’s tragedy but it is a national failure, where criminals hijacked democracy itself. If we, as citizens and leaders, do not act, we will one day find our freedom, our Constitution, and our values in their hands”, she added, hoping that the elected representatives would do the needful treating her as their sister.