The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Ayesha murder case rocks Assembly

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 27, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Ayesha murder case rocks Assembly

TDP, CPI(M), CPI, MIM and BJP walk out expressing dissatisfaction at Jana Reddy’s reply

- PHOTO: P.V. SIVAKUMAR

Agitated lot: TDP legislators staging a walkout from Assembly in protest against the alleged tardy investigation into Ayesha murder, in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

HYDERABAD: The rape and murder of Ayesha Meera rocked the Assembly for a second time in 10 days with the Opposition parties questioning the inordinate delay in cracking it.

Protesting against the “indifference and negligence” of the police, the Telugu Desam Party, CPI(M), CPI, MIM and BJP walked out, expressing dissatisfaction at the reply given by Home Minister K. Jana Reddy. The Opposition decried the police for “failing to investigate the case.” They sought to know whether the case was being handled by the CID or the Vijayawada police.

Raising the issue during question hour, Devineni Umamaheswara Rao (TDP) faulted the police for registering a case under Section 302 of the IPC without looking into the charge of rape. He also questioned the delay in sending the body for post-mortem. Syed Pasha Quadri (MIM) said: “It is clearly a conspiracy, where every attempt was made by the police to wipe out evidence.”

CPI (M) floor leader Nomula Narasimhaiah accused the police of suppressing facts and wondered why the police failed to file a case under Section 376 of the IPC.

CPI floor leader Chada Venkat Reddy wanted the Government to appoint an expert committee to investigate the case. Deputy Leader of Telugu Desam Legislature Party T. Devender Goud said the murder appeared to be the handiwork of a psychopath. Denying the Opposition charges, Mr. Jana Reddy said the Government would not hesitate to look into the charge of delay on the part of the police to investigate the case. The Vijayawada Police Commissioner was investigating the case under the supervision of the CID. “We have already written to the CBI. If the CBI declines to take up the case, the CID will investigate the case,” he said.

Intervening during the reply, the Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy denied police apathy in probing the case. Referring to the murder of actor Pratyusha in 2002, he said the police initially registered a case under section 172 and later altered it.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh