Former Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party President Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday visited the family of Kranthi Kumar, who died by suicide following harassment by former Krishnalanka Circle Inspector Nagaraju. He consoled the bereaved family and assured them that the YSR Congress Party would stand firmly by them. YS Jagan declared that the party would continue its fight until justice is delivered to Kranthi Kumar’s family. After interacting with the family and hearing their ordeal firsthand, he addressed the media.
Collapse of the Police System in the State
“Kranthi Kumar’s family is living in extreme poverty. The situation here is truly heartbreaking. He leaves behind three young children, all living together in a small house. A family already struggling with poverty has been completely shattered by this system. Kranthi Kumar was a taxi driver. Some minor cases had been registered against him nearly eight years ago, but they were closed and no punishment was ever imposed. Despite that, he was forced to report to the police station every day for three months. Unable to bear the continuous harassment, he ended his life. The police system has deteriorated to such an extent. He was below forty years of age and left behind three young children.
Despite not committing any crime, why was Kranthi Kumar repeatedly summoned to the police station? In his dying declaration, recorded on video, Kranthi Kumar himself stated that he had been called to the police station every day for the past three months, harassed and tortured. He also stated in the video that the police forced him to do things that should never have been forced upon him.”
Yet No Action has been taken
“This incident occurred in the State capital, Vijayawada. The Chief Minister’s residence, the Commissioner’s Office, the DGP’s Office and the Home Minister’s Office are all located within a short distance. Even after Kranthi Kumar’s father showed the selfie suicide video to the Police Commissioner following his son’s death, it was ignored. No action was taken. Why are those responsible being protected? A protection racket is operating in the capital itself. CI Nagaraju is protected by the Commissioner. The Commissioner is protected by the DGP. The DGP is protected by the Chief Minister.”
Disappearance of CCTV footage
“Two deaths have occurred within a span of one month under the jurisdiction of Krishnalanka Police Station—one custodial death and one suicide. Yet, there is no CCTV footage. The mandatory CCTV footage from the police station has disappeared. One remand report states that footage from May 1 to June 1 is unavailable. Another report says footage for the past 18 months is missing. Can anyone simply erase CCTV footage like this? Is there no backup? This clearly indicates that illegal activities are being carried out systematically inside police stations. People are being assaulted. People are being killed. Even when complaints are made, they are ignored and thrown into the dustbin.”
We Will Stand by the Family
“Despite everything that has happened, no case has been registered. In fact, an SC/ST Act case should have been registered. What answer will the government give to this family? The YSR Congress Party will stand by them in every possible way, beginning with legal assistance. If necessary, we will fight this case in court to ensure that justice is delivered.”
Responding to Media Questions
Responding to a question from the media regarding Pawan Kalyan’s statement that action should be taken if freedom of speech is misused for abuse and defamation, Y.S. Jagan said: “I do not know the context in which he made those remarks, whom they were directed at, or why he made them. However, journalists should look back at what happened on social media in the past. Abuse and defamatory campaigns were carried out extensively on social media by various groups. That should not be forgotten. Rules must be applied equally to everyone. Institutions must function uniformly for all. They cannot function one way for one person and another way for someone else. Only then will there be fairness and balance.”
