An arrest warrant was issued against KE Shyam Babu, the son of Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister KE Krishna Murthy, on Friday by a local Kurnool court in Dhone.
The court was hearing a case by the widow of YSRCP leader Cherukulapadu Narayana Reddy, who was brutally killed in May last year. Narayana Reddy was in charge of the party’s Pathikonda constituency.
After an earlier hearing, the court had ordered the police to register a case, following which the accused were booked under Section 190 and 200 of CrPC, according to reports.
The arrest warrant issued by the court also named Devenakonda ZPTC member, K Bojjamma, and Veldurthi sub-inspector, Tulasi Prasad.
In May last year, Narayana Reddy and his aide were attacked when they were on their way to Krishnagiri after attending a marriage function at Nandyal and Veldurthi. After being hit by a tractor from behind, Narayana Reddy’s car swerved off the road near a culvert.
Following this, around 20 to 25 members hurled bombs, and attacked him and his aide Sambasivudu, with knives and sickles.
While Narayana Reddy died on the spot, his aide who tried to flee, was also hacked to death.
In the 2014 elections, Narayana Reddy had contested unsuccessfully against Deputy Chief Minister KE Krishnamurthy as Congress candidate from the Pathikonda constituency and later joined YSR Congress.
Narayana Reddy had in fact alleged a threat to his life and urged the state government to provide protection. He had also deposited his revolver with the police for renewal of its licence.
Following his death, YSRCP chief Jaganmohan Reddy had said that Narayana was killed for ‘exposing’ illegal sand mining by TDP leaders, particularly family members of KE Krishna Murthy.
Terming it a pre-planned murder, Jagan said the opposition party functionaries were eliminated at the instance of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. He demanded probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and said the party had no faith in the probe by state agencies.
He said it was not an isolated incident and submitted details of killings of 13 YSRCP functionaries across the state since 2014, to Governor ESL Narasimhan.