Intelligence Failure and Security Lapses Blamed for Attack on Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy

Senior police officers allege that intelligence failure and security lapses led to the recent attack on Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. Not satisfied with the explanation given by the NTR Commissionerate Police, the Election Commission of India (ECI) transferred Director General (Intelligence) P. Sitaramanjaneyulu and Police Commissioner Kanthi Rana Tata. The police observed security lapses during the Chief Minister’s programme at the Dhabakotlu Centre, where the rope party was not close to him, and Special Branch and Intelligence officers failed to detect the conspiracy.

The accused, Vemula Satish Kumar, allegedly hurled a sharp-edged stone at the Chief Minister, causing him injury, during the ‘Memamtha Siddham’ election campaign. The police suspect that Vemula Durga Rao, a TDP sympathiser, instigated Satish Kumar. However, Satish Kumar’s advocate claims there is no evidence linking his client to the attack, while the court granted three days of police custody to the accused for further investigation.