710
18 days ago
Drama in Patna as Andhra police arrive to arrest Bihar IG, denied transit remand by local court
Summary
A Patna court on Monday halted the arrest of a Bihar-cadre IG-rank IPS officer in connection with an alleged attempt to murder Andhra Pradesh Assembly Deputy Speaker Kanumuru Raghurama Krishna Raju after rejecting the Andhra Pradesh Police’s transit remand application, citing procedural lapses.
The order came hours after an Andhra Pradesh Police team arrived in Patna to arrest officer Sunil Kumar Naik, a 2005-batch IPS officer currently posted as Inspector General of Fire and Home Guards in Bihar. Naik, who was on deputation to Andhra Pradesh at that time and had been serving as DIG of CID, has been accused of attempting to kill Raju in police custody in May 2021.
The FIR in the case — filed in July 2024 based on Raju’s police complaint — invokes sections of the Indian Penal Code that deal with criminal conspiracy, attempted murder, grievous hurt, forgery and criminal intimidation, among others.
That FIR also names PV Sunil Kumar, then Director General of the Crime Branch-CID (CB-CID); IPS officer Seetharamanjaneyulu; R Vijaya Paul, then Additional Superintendent of Police, CB-CID; and others. The complaint also names the then Andhra Pradesh chief minister, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.
His lawyers, however, claimed that Naik’s name was not in the original complaint.
On Monday, rejecting the Andhra Pradesh Police’s remand application, the Patna court said they had “neither provided a case diary nor a warrant”.
“The Andhra Pradesh Police contacted Patna police today regarding case number CR 187/24… in which the transit remand was requested. The court rejected the transit remand. They did not provide the case diary nor any warrant, and additionally, the local police were not notified prior to the arrest. The arrest happened around 6 am, and procedural lapses led to the rejection of the transit remand by the court,” Patna City Superintendent of Police Bhanu Pratap Singh said.
The allegations against Naik relate to a period after he was sent on deputation to Andhra Pradesh on December 4, 2019, for three years on grounds of personal hardship. Raju, then a YSR Congress Party MP, was arrested on sedition charges on May 14, 2021, for an alleged hate speech against certain communities after he filed a plea before the CBI special court in Hyderabad seeking cancellation of bail granted to Jagan in an alleged disproportionate assets case.
Raju, now a leader of Andhra Pradesh’s ruling Telugu Desam Party, later alleged that he was tortured and denied medicine while in police custody. After the TDP-led NDA came to power in 2024, cases were registered in July against some police officials and the former chief minister in connection with the alleged incident.
On March 3 last year, the Andhra Pradesh Police issued a notice to Naik to appear and record his statement in the case relating to the alleged attempted murder of Raju. The notice was issued after investigators determined he was present at the CID office in Guntur when Raju was brought in.
In his complaint, Raju said he was arrested in a sedition case in 2021 but, instead of being produced before a local magistrate in Hyderabad, was allegedly taken to the CB-CID office in Guntur, where certain police officers — including senior CB-CID officials — “came into CB-CID Office and beat him with rubber belt and lathi and even not allowed to take medicines in respect of his heart ailment”, allegedly acting under the influence of the then chief minister.
Raju alleged that despite knowing he had just undergone heart bypass surgery, “some persons sat on his chest applied pressure and thereby attempted to kill him”, and that he was assaulted until he “revealed” the password to his phone and threatened with death if he continued to criticise the chief minister.
The complaint further alleges that he was subsequently shifted to the Government General Hospital, Guntur, where “the doctor who treated him has issued false medical certificates at the instance of police officials”.
Meanwhile, Naik’s legal representatives — senior advocate Amit Srivastava and advocate Kunal Tiwari — claimed Naik was never named in the original FIR lodged by the Andhra Pradesh Police. The team is considering a petition to quash the FIR before the Andhra Pradesh High Court at the earliest.
“An FIR was registered on 11 July 2024 in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, in relation to an incident that allegedly took place on 14 May 2021. At that time, Mr Sunil Naik was not named as an accused,” Srivastava said. He added that the FIR was filed nearly three years after the alleged incident and that Naik’s name did not figure in it initially.
His legal team claimed that his name surfaced only during the course of the investigation, which they alleged was “indicative of mala fide intent”.
“The alleged 2021 incident pertained to accusations of torture involving a Member of Parliament who was then associated with the YSR Reddy government. The Andhra Pradesh High Court had rejected the MP’s bail plea, following which he approached the Supreme Court by filing a Special Leave Petition (SLP). Even in the petition filed before the Supreme Court, not a single word was mentioned against Mr Sunil Naik,” Srivastava said, adding that on May 21, 2025, the Supreme Court granted bail to the MP and that “at no stage during those proceedings was Naik implicated”.
Raju, who won the Narsapuram Lok Sabha seat in 2019 on a YSRCP ticket, later turned rebel and began criticising then chief minister Reddy, especially over converting Telugu-medium schools into English medium. Now in the ruling TDP, he has filed petitions in a CBI court in Hyderabad seeking cancellation of bail granted to Jagan in the alleged illegal assets case.
He was taken into custody by CID officials in May 2021 after they issued a notice under IPC sections for sedition, promoting enmity between groups and public mischief. He was later granted bail by the Supreme Court.
Former CID Additional SP R Vijaya Paul and Medical Superintendent of Guntur General Hospital Dr N Prabhavati are also named in the case. Prakasam district SP A R Damodar, who is investigating the case, issued a notice to Naik after determining he was present at the CID office in Guntur when Raju was brought in. Naik has been asked to present himself at the SP’s office “at the earliest” to record his statement.
Himanshu Harsh is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, currently leading on-the-ground coverage in Bihar. With a reporting career rooted in the complexities of the National Capital Region (NCR), Himanshu specializes in the critical intersection of law, crime, and civic governance.
Professional Expertise & Credentials
An alumnus of the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Delhi, Himanshu brings a rigorous academic foundation to his investigative work. His expertise is characterized by a "ground-up" reporting style, most notably demonstrated during his extensive coverage of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where he analyzed shifting political landscapes and grassroots sentiment.
Specialized Beats
Himanshu’s portfolio reflects versatility, allowing him to navigate diverse industries and social issues:
Civic & Legal Affairs: Extensive experience covering the Delhi reporting beat, focusing on policy implementation and judicial impact.
Automotive Industry: A technical background in reporting on India’s evolving transport and automotive sectors.
Social Fabric & Human Interest: Beyond hard news, he is known for exploring the changing social dynamics of India’s urban and rural heartlands, bringing a human-centric lens to systemic issues.
Personal Interests & Digital Literacy
Outside the newsroom, Himanshu’s deep engagement with technology and gaming informs his understanding of digital trends and the modern information economy. A trained DJ with a passion for music, his diverse personal interests contribute to a well-rounded perspective that resonates across both traditional and digital media platforms. ... Read More
Sreenivas Janyala is a Deputy Associate Editor at The Indian Express, where he serves as one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political and economic landscape of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. With a career spanning over two decades in mainstream journalism, he provides deep-dive analysis and frontline reporting on the intricate dynamics of South Indian governance.
Expertise and Experience
Regional Specialization: Based in Hyderabad, Sreenivas has spent more than 20 years documenting the evolution of the Telugu-speaking states. His reporting was foundational during the historic Telangana statehood movement and continues to track the post-bifurcation development of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Key Coverage Beats: His extensive portfolio covers a vast spectrum of critical issues:
High-Stakes Politics: Comprehensive tracking of regional powerhouses (BRS, TDP, YSRCP, and Congress), electoral shifts, and the political careers of figures like K. Chandrashekar Rao, Chandrababu Naidu, and Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Internal Security & Conflict: Authoritative reporting on Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), the decline of the Maoist movement in former hotbeds, and intelligence-led investigations into regional security modules.
Governance & Infrastructure: Detailed analysis of massive irrigation projects (like Kaleshwaram and Polavaram), capital city developments (Amaravati), and the implementation of state welfare schemes.
Crisis & Health Reporting: Led the publication's ground-level coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic in South India and major industrial incidents, such as the Vizag gas leak.
Analytical Depth: Beyond daily news, Sreenivas is known for his "Explained" pieces that demystify complex regional disputes, such as river water sharing and judicial allocations between the sister states. ... Read More
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The order came hours after an Andhra Pradesh Police team arrived in Patna to arrest officer Sunil Kumar Naik, a 2005-batch IPS officer currently posted as Inspector General of Fire and Home Guards in Bihar. Naik, who was on deputation to Andhra Pradesh at that time and had been serving as DIG of CID, has been accused of attempting to kill Raju in police custody in May 2021.
The FIR in the case — filed in July 2024 based on Raju’s police complaint — invokes sections of the Indian Penal Code that deal with criminal conspiracy, attempted murder, grievous hurt, forgery and criminal intimidation, among others.
That FIR also names PV Sunil Kumar, then Director General of the Crime Branch-CID (CB-CID); IPS officer Seetharamanjaneyulu; R Vijaya Paul, then Additional Superintendent of Police, CB-CID; and others. The complaint also names the then Andhra Pradesh chief minister, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.
His lawyers, however, claimed that Naik’s name was not in the original complaint.
On Monday, rejecting the Andhra Pradesh Police’s remand application, the Patna court said they had “neither provided a case diary nor a warrant”.
“The Andhra Pradesh Police contacted Patna police today regarding case number CR 187/24… in which the transit remand was requested. The court rejected the transit remand. They did not provide the case diary nor any warrant, and additionally, the local police were not notified prior to the arrest. The arrest happened around 6 am, and procedural lapses led to the rejection of the transit remand by the court,” Patna City Superintendent of Police Bhanu Pratap Singh said.
The allegations against Naik relate to a period after he was sent on deputation to Andhra Pradesh on December 4, 2019, for three years on grounds of personal hardship. Raju, then a YSR Congress Party MP, was arrested on sedition charges on May 14, 2021, for an alleged hate speech against certain communities after he filed a plea before the CBI special court in Hyderabad seeking cancellation of bail granted to Jagan in an alleged disproportionate assets case.
Raju, now a leader of Andhra Pradesh’s ruling Telugu Desam Party, later alleged that he was tortured and denied medicine while in police custody. After the TDP-led NDA came to power in 2024, cases were registered in July against some police officials and the former chief minister in connection with the alleged incident.
On March 3 last year, the Andhra Pradesh Police issued a notice to Naik to appear and record his statement in the case relating to the alleged attempted murder of Raju. The notice was issued after investigators determined he was present at the CID office in Guntur when Raju was brought in.
In his complaint, Raju said he was arrested in a sedition case in 2021 but, instead of being produced before a local magistrate in Hyderabad, was allegedly taken to the CB-CID office in Guntur, where certain police officers — including senior CB-CID officials — “came into CB-CID Office and beat him with rubber belt and lathi and even not allowed to take medicines in respect of his heart ailment”, allegedly acting under the influence of the then chief minister.
Raju alleged that despite knowing he had just undergone heart bypass surgery, “some persons sat on his chest applied pressure and thereby attempted to kill him”, and that he was assaulted until he “revealed” the password to his phone and threatened with death if he continued to criticise the chief minister.
The complaint further alleges that he was subsequently shifted to the Government General Hospital, Guntur, where “the doctor who treated him has issued false medical certificates at the instance of police officials”.
Meanwhile, Naik’s legal representatives — senior advocate Amit Srivastava and advocate Kunal Tiwari — claimed Naik was never named in the original FIR lodged by the Andhra Pradesh Police. The team is considering a petition to quash the FIR before the Andhra Pradesh High Court at the earliest.
“An FIR was registered on 11 July 2024 in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, in relation to an incident that allegedly took place on 14 May 2021. At that time, Mr Sunil Naik was not named as an accused,” Srivastava said. He added that the FIR was filed nearly three years after the alleged incident and that Naik’s name did not figure in it initially.
His legal team claimed that his name surfaced only during the course of the investigation, which they alleged was “indicative of mala fide intent”.
“The alleged 2021 incident pertained to accusations of torture involving a Member of Parliament who was then associated with the YSR Reddy government. The Andhra Pradesh High Court had rejected the MP’s bail plea, following which he approached the Supreme Court by filing a Special Leave Petition (SLP). Even in the petition filed before the Supreme Court, not a single word was mentioned against Mr Sunil Naik,” Srivastava said, adding that on May 21, 2025, the Supreme Court granted bail to the MP and that “at no stage during those proceedings was Naik implicated”.
Raju, who won the Narsapuram Lok Sabha seat in 2019 on a YSRCP ticket, later turned rebel and began criticising then chief minister Reddy, especially over converting Telugu-medium schools into English medium. Now in the ruling TDP, he has filed petitions in a CBI court in Hyderabad seeking cancellation of bail granted to Jagan in the alleged illegal assets case.
He was taken into custody by CID officials in May 2021 after they issued a notice under IPC sections for sedition, promoting enmity between groups and public mischief. He was later granted bail by the Supreme Court.
Former CID Additional SP R Vijaya Paul and Medical Superintendent of Guntur General Hospital Dr N Prabhavati are also named in the case. Prakasam district SP A R Damodar, who is investigating the case, issued a notice to Naik after determining he was present at the CID office in Guntur when Raju was brought in. Naik has been asked to present himself at the SP’s office “at the earliest” to record his statement.
Himanshu Harsh is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, currently leading on-the-ground coverage in Bihar. With a reporting career rooted in the complexities of the National Capital Region (NCR), Himanshu specializes in the critical intersection of law, crime, and civic governance.
Professional Expertise & Credentials
An alumnus of the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Delhi, Himanshu brings a rigorous academic foundation to his investigative work. His expertise is characterized by a "ground-up" reporting style, most notably demonstrated during his extensive coverage of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where he analyzed shifting political landscapes and grassroots sentiment.
Specialized Beats
Himanshu’s portfolio reflects versatility, allowing him to navigate diverse industries and social issues:
Civic & Legal Affairs: Extensive experience covering the Delhi reporting beat, focusing on policy implementation and judicial impact.
Automotive Industry: A technical background in reporting on India’s evolving transport and automotive sectors.
Social Fabric & Human Interest: Beyond hard news, he is known for exploring the changing social dynamics of India’s urban and rural heartlands, bringing a human-centric lens to systemic issues.
Personal Interests & Digital Literacy
Outside the newsroom, Himanshu’s deep engagement with technology and gaming informs his understanding of digital trends and the modern information economy. A trained DJ with a passion for music, his diverse personal interests contribute to a well-rounded perspective that resonates across both traditional and digital media platforms. ... Read More
Sreenivas Janyala is a Deputy Associate Editor at The Indian Express, where he serves as one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political and economic landscape of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. With a career spanning over two decades in mainstream journalism, he provides deep-dive analysis and frontline reporting on the intricate dynamics of South Indian governance.
Expertise and Experience
Regional Specialization: Based in Hyderabad, Sreenivas has spent more than 20 years documenting the evolution of the Telugu-speaking states. His reporting was foundational during the historic Telangana statehood movement and continues to track the post-bifurcation development of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Key Coverage Beats: His extensive portfolio covers a vast spectrum of critical issues:
High-Stakes Politics: Comprehensive tracking of regional powerhouses (BRS, TDP, YSRCP, and Congress), electoral shifts, and the political careers of figures like K. Chandrashekar Rao, Chandrababu Naidu, and Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Internal Security & Conflict: Authoritative reporting on Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), the decline of the Maoist movement in former hotbeds, and intelligence-led investigations into regional security modules.
Governance & Infrastructure: Detailed analysis of massive irrigation projects (like Kaleshwaram and Polavaram), capital city developments (Amaravati), and the implementation of state welfare schemes.
Crisis & Health Reporting: Led the publication's ground-level coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic in South India and major industrial incidents, such as the Vizag gas leak.
Analytical Depth: Beyond daily news, Sreenivas is known for his "Explained" pieces that demystify complex regional disputes, such as river water sharing and judicial allocations between the sister states. ... Read More
Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
AI Description
A Patna court halted the arrest of a Bihar-cadre IPS officer due to procedural lapses by Andhra Pradesh Police. The arrest was related to an alleged attempt to murder an Andhra Pradesh Assembly Deputy Speaker.