Advertisement

'Foul Play' Twist In Case Of Man Allegedly Run Over By Jagan Reddy's Car

Mr Reddy's bulletproof Toyota Fortuner - which he was in when Mr Singaiah was run over - has been seized by the police and will be sent for forensic examination.

'Foul Play' Twist In Case Of Man Allegedly Run Over By Jagan Reddy's Car
Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy (File).
Hyderabad:

The wife of the man who died last month - after he was run over by a car in ex-Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy's convoy - has spoken of 'foul play' by the ruling Telugu Desam Party in connection with her husband's death. The claim came shortly after a meeting with Mr Reddy, who has been named as an 'accused' in a culpable homicide police case filed over the man's death.

"My husband suffered minor injuries to his shoulder and hands... why would he die because of that? What happened in the ambulance?" Lourdu Mary, 55-year-old Cheeli Singaiah's wife, asked.

She said members of Mr Reddy's YSR Congress Party had tried to shift Mr Singaiah to the hospital on their own, but were stopped and her husband had to wait for an ambulance.

She also said 50 men - claiming to be from the 'Nara Lokesh camp', i.e., the son of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu - turned up at her home after her husband died and asked her to sign some papers. According to her, they claimed to be from the same Scheduled Caste as her late husband.

"I felt scared... so I stayed silent and did as I was told," she declared.

Her claim has drawn a strong reaction from Mr Naidu, who has accused the YSRCP of having 'pressured the wife (into) saving Jagan'.

Mr Reddy - whose bulletproof Toyota Fortuner has been seized by the police and will be sent for forensic examination - earlier received some relief after the Andhra Pradesh High Court.

The cops were restrained from taking coercive action. But that relief expired Tuesday.

READ | Jagan Reddy's Car, Involved In Supporer Death Row, Seized

The investigation into Mr Singaiah's tragic death has seen several dramatic turns.

Initially, police said he had been run over by a vehicle 50 metres ahead of that carrying Mr Reddy.

Add image caption here

Jagan Reddy was holding a roadshow when the tragic accident happened.

But later, armed with drone footage, the cops said it was, in fact, the latter vehicle that killed Mr Singaiah, and named Mr Reddy as 'accused number 2' and modified the charges to culpable homicide not amounting to murder and abetment. The first accused is the driver of the vehicle.

The YSRCP has said the driver had been provided by the state, i.e., Mr Naidu's administration.

READ | Did Jagan Reddy's Car Hit Man? Party Claims "Doctored Video"

Meanwhile, Mr Reddy asked the High Court to quash the case against him.

READ | Jagan Reddy Named As Accused After His Car Runs Over Man

In that matter there was another headline-grabbing moment after Justice K Srinivas Reddy asked how cases could be registered against those in the car in a road accident, and drew parallels to accidents in large gatherings; the unfortunate example was January's Kumbh Mela stampede.

Scrambling to defend itself, the YSRCP has blamed the police and the state for inadequate security arrangements during the roadshow that Mr Reddy was conducting when Mr Singaiah was killed.

The argument was the large crowds the YSRCP chief drew were a factor in the incident.

Mr Reddy's team also argued the charges were politically motivated.

NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat.

Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world

Follow us:
Listen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com