The National Investigation Agency (NIA) which recently took over the investigation of the attack on YSRCP chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy at the Visakhapatnam Airport filed a petition in a special court in Vijayawada on Thursday, alleging non-cooperation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Andhra Pradesh police which had first looked into the case.
The NIA asked the court to direct the police to share all the records and documents that the national agency had asked for. In a related development, the state government has decided to move the Andhra Pradesh High Court seeking a direction to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to withdraw the orders issued by the Centre for the NIA to take over the case.
Just earlier this week, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu shot off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressing his displeasure over the Centre's move.
“I am constrained to express my concern at the manner in which Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India issued orders directing the investigation by NIA in connection with the attack of Jaganmohan…It is with regret and anguish I am to say that the Union Government is bringing down the sanctity and autonomy of every institution with particular reference to the manner in which the Home Ministry entrusted the investigation to the NIA without dealing with the objections furnished by the state government in this regard,” Naidu said in his letter.
Jagan was injured when Srinivas, a worker at the airport canteen, attacked him with a cockfight knife as the YSRCP chief was waiting to board a flight to Hyderabad. The Centre took the decision to hand over the case to NIA on December 31. The investigating agency on January 1 registered a case. The First Information Report (FIR) was registered on a complaint by an officer of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
Jagan, who sustained a bleeding cut on his left upper arm, continued his journey and got admitted at a hospital in Hyderabad.