The story so far: Gade Sai Krishna (25), who allegedly had a criminal history, went ‘missing’ after he was picked up by the Krishnalanka police of the NTR Police Commissionerate from Markapuram in May. A habeas corpus petition filed by Sai Krishna’s mother, Vijaya Lakshmi, in the High Court more than three weeks after the youngster’s disappearance brought the issue to light, and the sequence of events that unfolded was no less than a crime thriller.

The Circle Inspector of the Krishnalanka police station was arrested on June 23 for alleged custodial torture of Sai Krishna, leading to his death, and for allegedly disposing of the body in a desperate attempt to destroy evidence of the crime. The formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and a political slugfest followed, bringing much disrepute to the police machinery and also the State government.

How did Sai Krishna go missing after being taken into police custody?

A team of police from the Krishnalanka police station, along with personnel of the NTR district Task Force, picked up Sai Krishna from Markapuram in May. He was brought to the Krishnalanka police station, where the Circle Inspector, S.S.V.V. Nagaraju, allegedly brutally tortured him for a couple of days in the name of questioning him in connection with old cases.

Sai Krishna’s mother, Vijaya Lakshmi, made rounds of the police station but was denied access to meet her son. On June 2, Vijaya Lakshmi filed a habeas corpus petition, and the court directed the police to produce the youngster by June 15. As the police failed to do so, the court subsequently directed them to produce Sai Krishna before it on June 29.

Why did the case become a political flashpoint?

The issue that the police had allegedly managed to keep under wraps suddenly gained momentum with the Opposition YSR Congress Party raising its voice in support of Vijaya Lakshmi and targeting the police and the NDA government. The Opposition party maintained that the ‘Red Book’ Constitution that IT Minister Nara Lokesh had advocated and implemented had led to lawlessness, police high-handedness and bad governance in the State.

YSRCP president and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy personally visited Vijaya Lakshmi at her house in Vijayawada and consoled her. Leading his party’s attack, Jagan Mohan Reddy demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged custodial torture and the disposal of Sai Krishna’s body. Jagan Mohan Reddy maintained that the suspension of a Circle Inspector was an eyewash and trained his guns on the Commissioner of Police, S.V. Rajasekhara Babu, and the Director General of Police (DGP), Harish Kumar Gupta, for allegedly shielding the accused police officer.

How did the Andhra government respond to the allegations?

To make amends, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu invited Vijaya Lakshmi to his Undavalli camp office and assured her of a fair and impartial investigation into her son’s alleged custodial death and action against the guilty police officials. Vijaya Lakshmi, after meeting the Chief Minister, expressed satisfaction over the government’s response and also asked political parties not to politicise the issue further, giving some respite to the government.

What action has been taken against the police officials?

In the meantime, police registered a case of murder and illegal confinement against Inspector Nagaraju, who went absconding after facing the heat. The SIT, constituted by the State government and headed by Inspector General of Police (IGP) M. Ravi Prakash, with Superintendents of Police Adnan Nayeem Asmi and Amit Bardar and Additional SP L. Sudhakar as members, swung into action. The team visited the police station and the SIT office, gathered evidence and recorded the statements of police personnel and other officers.

Special teams nabbed the ‘absconding’ police official four days after the case was registered from Ajit Singh Nagar in Vijayawada. Some action ensued, with locals and ‘supporters’ of the Circle Inspector staging protests against the arrest of an official who, they claimed, had performed his duties with sincerity.

What has the SIT investigation revealed so far?

The SIT probing the custodial death reportedly found that the Krishnalanka police attempted to create the impression that Sai Krishna had escaped from police custody and fled to Goa. According to the SIT, the police gave Sai Krishna’s mobile phone to a gym trainer and sent him to Goa in an apparent attempt to support that narrative. The SIT probe also reportedly found that attempts were made to tamper with CCTV footage to destroy evidence.

Employees at a nearby crematorium were also questioned about the disposal of any unknown or unidentified body by the police or other individuals.

The SIT also arrested a Registered Medical Practitioner (RMP) who had treated Sai Krishna for serious injuries while he was allegedly in confinement. It was also reported that Sai Krishna was taken to a hospital by the Krishnalanka police, but his health condition did not improve even after he was administered medication there.

What’s the twist in the tale?

Even as there was no clear hint about the whereabouts of Sai Krishna, his body or the place where it may have been disposed of, Vijaya Lakshmi on July 14 moved the court seeking withdrawal of the petition filed by her. The court, however, expressed serious displeasure over the plea, pointing to several contradictions in the withdrawal petition. The High Court subsequently sought an explanation on the reasons for the withdrawal.