Andhra Pradesh Custodial Death Case: Police Officer Arrested, SIT Formed After High Court Intervention

An alleged custodial death at the Krishnalanka police station in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, has become a major political issue in the state. Gade Sai Krishna, a man with a reported criminal history, was taken into custody by Circle Inspector S.S.V.V. Nagaraju on May 9 from his residence in Markapuram for questioning in connection with old cases. He has been missing since then.

Sai Krishna's mother, G. Vijaya Lakshmi, filed a habeas corpus petition in the Andhra Pradesh High Court on June 2 after repeated inquiries at the police station yielded no information. The court ordered the NTR Police Commissionerate to produce Sai Krishna by June 15. When the deadline was not met, the High Court extended the deadline to June 29.

Opposition parties, including the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and the Congress, have accused the government and police of custodial torture and a cover-up. Former Chief Minister and YSRCP president Jagan Mohan Reddy has alleged police excesses and accused the ruling party of following a 'Red Book' governance, referencing a term used by IT Minister Nara Lokesh during the 2024 election campaign to describe plans to address alleged misconduct during the previous rule.

The incident has parallels to a 2024 case where YSRCP MLC Ananta Satya Udaya Bhaskar (Ananta Babu) was involved in the murder of his driver, Subrahmanyam, a Dalit. That case became a caste-based political narrative during the elections. However, in the present case, both the accused and the victim belong to the same community, and no similar caste angle has emerged.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has taken a firm stance, directing Director General of Police Harish Kumar Gupta to suspend Circle Inspector Nagaraju. A murder case has been registered against Nagaraju, and he was taken into custody on June 23. The government has also constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe allegations of illegal detention, custodial death, and destruction of evidence. Naidu met the mother of the missing youth and assured a transparent investigation.

The whereabouts of Sai Krishna remain unknown, as his body has not been found. The SIT is continuing its investigation.