AP Police’s Non-cooperation To NIA Probe On YS Jagan Attack  

Visakhapatnam: In what may turn out to be the first taste of many bitter dust-ups and non-co-operation for the officials of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) from the Visakhapatnam police, city Commissioner Mahesh Chandra Laddha went on a four-day personal leave starting Saturday, the day when a team of NIA landed in the city to investigate the attack on Leader of Opposition in Andhra Pradesh Assembly and YSR Congress Party Chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. It may be recalled that the Opposition leader survived a murder attempt on him inside the VIP lounge of Visakhapatnam airport.

A five-member team under the leadership of NIA's Chief Investigating Officer Mohammed Sajid Khan landed in the city on Saturday to begin the probe in the matter. An FIR was filed on 1 January, 2019. In the absence of Commissioner Laddha, senior IPS officer Ravishankar Ayyennar has been given the responsibility to act as the temporary Commissioner. It is being discussed in the police circles that Laddha was asked to go on leave by the State government, in a deliberate attempt to stall the probe.

The Visakhapatanam Commissioner has always been amongst controversies in the recent times. On 25 October, 2018, the day of the attack on YS Jagan, Laddha was unavailable for appointments, citing that he was busy in a meeting with higher officials in Amaravati. Although ACP Nageswara Rao was said to be the chief of the Special Investigating Team (SIT) that had investigated the incident, it was Laddha who looked after the developments of the probe.

CP Laddha was responsible for confining the SIT probe to the accused, Srinivasa Rao. Soon after the attacker's police custody period ended, the investigation was shelved and the SIT office was locked. After learning that the case was handed over to the NIA, Laddha convened a press meet in a hurry on January 2, only to say that the attack was done only to gain publicity. Now, after the NIA team arrived, he is on leave, his phone switched off and he made himself completlely unavailable.

Meanwhile, it is said that that the SIT officers did not cooperate with the NIA team in their interactions on the SIT probe. All that the police officers said was to seek any information from Commissioner Laddha and that neither the High Court nor the State government asked them to cooperate with the NIA probe.

Speaking on the developments in the NIA's probe, SIT officer and ACP Nageswara Rao said, "It is not true that the State police are not cooperating with the NIA. I had given all the information under my ambit to NIA CEO Sajid Khan." Visakhapatnam airport director Prakash Reddy said the NIA team did not visit the airport yet.

NIA CEO Sajid Khan said, "The investigation began just today. It is the primary stage. Hence, we can't disclose anything as of now." Asked if the State police were cooperating in the probe, he said he wouldn't comment on it.

Also Read: YS Jagan Releases Avineethi Chakravarthi Book On Chandrababu’s Rs 6 Lakh Crore Corruption