The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Pharmacy student’s murder: A.P. Minister offers to quit

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Tuesday, Jan 22, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Pharmacy student’s murder: A.P. Minister offers to quit

Staff Reporter

VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh Municipal Administration Minister Koneru Ranga Rao on Monday offered to quit active politics if the involvement of any of his family members in the murder of pharmacy student Ayesha Meera was established.

The Minister’s assertion came a day after he was accused by a group of Muslims at a public meeting at Nandigama of “shielding” the guilty in the December 27 murder of Ayesha in a ladies hostel at Ibrahimpatnam. With the Vijayawada city police not being able to bring the culprits to book even after three weeks, Opposition parties and minority organisations have begun expressing doubts whether attempts are being made to dilute the investigation under “political pressure”.

Several Muslim activists went to Police Commissioner C.V. Anand’s office early in the day in response to the Minister’s offer to accompany them to the Commissionerate to seek expeditious completion of the probe and arrest of the accused.

However, on realising that as a Minister he could not go to the Police Commissioner, Mr. Ranga Rao chose to wait at the State Guest House for the police official. The Muslim activists, under the banner of Nandigama Muslim Yuvajana Sangham, waited for the Minister for over an hour before dispersing.

Sangham president Khalid Ahmed Razvi, religious leader Md. Quaja Mohiuddin and others told reporters that there was no scope for outsiders to enter the hostel premises and commit the murder. Without the involvement of “insiders”, it would not have happened and the police should not yield to political pressure.

Mr. Ranga Rao challenged the basis of allegation that Mr. C.V. Anand was yielding to pressure. “The Commissioner is an able officer and let him come out with the names of persons responsible for the murder,” he said.

‘Same surname’

Pointing out that the allegations against his family were being made on the basis that a suspect had the same surname as his, he said the suspect’s caste was different from his own.

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