Five years on, probe into Vivekananda Reddy murder case achieved little progress: Y.S. Sharmila

APCC president Y.S. Sharmila arriving in a procession to submit her nomination papers for Kadapa Lok Sabha seat in Kadapa on Saturday.

Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Y.S. Sharmila filed her nomination for the Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency here on Saturday. She submitted the nomination papers to Kadapa district Collector and Returning Officer V. Vijayarama Raju.

Party leaders and workers took out a huge rally, even as Ms. Sharmila arrived along with her cousin Suneetha Narreddy, daughter of slain former MP Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy.

Earlier, she offered prayers at the YSR Samadhi, the memorial of her father and former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, at Idupulapaya.

Speaking to the media later, Ms. Sharmila recalled the murder of her paternal uncle Vivekananda Reddy and said that investigation into the case achieved little progress even five years after the incident that rocked the State ahead of the 2019 general elections.

Recalling Dr. Suneetha’s ‘Justice for Viveka’ call, Ms. Sharmila narrated how she and her sister had launched a tirade to bring the murder accused to book. She expressed anguish over the accused in the murder case roaming in the open, and blamed those in power for “extending support.”

“The ‘Justice for Viveka’ is not just a slogan, but is a war cry to bring the culprits to book. But those in power are moving heaven and earth to muzzle our voice,” she said in an apparent reference to the gag order.

“We have been speaking only what is mentioned in the CBI chargesheet. There is no element of imagination in our allegations and everything is in tune with the chargesheet, which we believe is a public document. We still wonder how our freedom of speech can be curtailed through a court order,” she remarked.

Ms. Sharmila appealed to the voters of Kadapa parliamentary constituency to discourage murder politics, and choose the candidate wisely in the ensuing general elections.