YSRCP student leader surrenders at Mangalagiri court

Vijayawada: Panuganti Chaitanya, president of YSRCP student wing and one of the accused in the 2021 attack on the TDP office in Mangalagiri, surrendered before Mangalagiri court in Guntur on Monday. Chaitanya, a close associate of YSRCP MLC Lella Appi Reddy, was absconding after the TDP-led NDA govt came to power in the state in June.
Chaitanya's surrender comes just a day after the state govt announced its decision to hand over the case to the CID. The process of transfer of the case was delayed due to technical reasons, with the police continuing with their investigation in the meantime.
Three YSRCP leaders, including Appi Reddy, Devineni Avinash, and Talasila Raghuram also appeared before the police on Monday for questioning. They were questioned for two hours at Mangalagiri police station, during which they were showed photographs of individuals allegedly involved in the attack. However, the accused claimed they could not recognise them.
The attack on the TDP office was reported in October 2021 when YSRCP supporters stormed the office in Mangalagiri in protest against the remarks made by TDP spokesperson Kommareddy Pattabhi Ram against then chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. The attackers damaged furniture, broke window panes, and vandalised cars outside the office. A similar incident was reported at the residence of TDP president and then leader of opposition Nara Chandrababu Naidu in September that year.
The TDP-led NDA govt in the state, which came to power in June, reopened investigations into both incidents. YSRCP MLCs Lella Appi Reddy, Talasila Raghuram, and former MLC Nandigama Suresh were named among the accused in the TDP office attack case. Last month, police arrested Suresh after the AP high court dismissed the anticipatory bail petitions filed by him and other leaders, including former minister Jogi Ramesh, for their alleged involvement in the attack on Naidu's residence.