The Andhra Pradesh Police on Tuesday night seized former chief minister and YSRCP president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy’s vehicle in connection with a case related to the death of a party supporter last week.
The vehicle, a bulletproof Toyota Fortuner, allegedly ran over YSRCP supporter Cheeli Singaiah, 55, in Guntur district after he slipped and fell in front of it while trying to shower flowers on Jagan on June 18. According to officials, the vehicle’s front right wheel ran over the neck of Singaiah, who died on the way to a hospital.
S Satish Kumar, Superintendent of Police (SP), Guntur, said that a forensic investigation and eyewitness descriptions had confirmed that the black Toyota Fortuner was involved in the incident. The vehicle was seized after officials from Nallapadu police station visited the YSRCP central office in Tadepalli late Tuesday night and handed over notices to the office secretary.
The accident occurred when Jagan was returning after visiting a village in Palnadu district where he had gone to console the family of a former sarpanch who had allegedly died by suicide due to police harassment.
According to the Guntur district police, apart from Jagan, driver Ramana Reddy, Jagan’s PA K Nageshwar Reddy, Rajya Sabha MP Y V Subba Reddy, former MLA Perni Venkateshwara Rao, and former minister Vidadala Rajini were in the vehicle. They have all been named in the FIR registered at Nallapadu police station under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 49 (act endangering human life or personal safety of others) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita based on a complaint by Singaiah’s wife, C Lurdhu Mary.
Jagan has been named as accused number 2 in the FIR. On Wednesday afternoon, Jagan moved a petition in the Andhra Pradesh High Court against the FIR. The court will take up the petition on Thursday.
The police in Palnadu and Guntur districts have said that the chaos on the road was the result of Jagan’s convoy, alleging that though permission had only been granted for three vehicles, several unauthorised vehicles had joined the convoy, making it unmanageable. Meanwhile, Jagan has criticised the N Chandrababu Naidu government for placing restrictions on him and accused it of failing to provide him Z-plus security, saying he is entitled to it.
Sreenivas Janyala is a Deputy Associate Editor at The Indian Express, where he serves as one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political and economic landscape of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. With a career spanning over two decades in mainstream journalism, he provides deep-dive analysis and frontline reporting on the intricate dynamics of South Indian governance.
Expertise and Experience
Regional Specialization: Based in Hyderabad, Sreenivas has spent more than 20 years documenting the evolution of the Telugu-speaking states. His reporting was foundational during the historic Telangana statehood movement and continues to track the post-bifurcation development of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Key Coverage Beats: His extensive portfolio covers a vast spectrum of critical issues:
High-Stakes Politics: Comprehensive tracking of regional powerhouses (BRS, TDP, YSRCP, and Congress), electoral shifts, and the political careers of figures like K. Chandrashekar Rao, Chandrababu Naidu, and Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Internal Security & Conflict: Authoritative reporting on Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), the decline of the Maoist movement in former hotbeds, and intelligence-led investigations into regional security modules.
Governance & Infrastructure: Detailed analysis of massive irrigation projects (like Kaleshwaram and Polavaram), capital city developments (Amaravati), and the implementation of state welfare schemes.
Crisis & Health Reporting: Led the publication's ground-level coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic in South India and major industrial incidents, such as the Vizag gas leak.
Analytical Depth: Beyond daily news, Sreenivas is known for his "Explained" pieces that demystify complex regional disputes, such as river water sharing and judicial allocations between the sister states. ... Read More
