Jagan refuses to record statement in knife attack case

Hyderabad : YSR Congress Party President Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, who sustained a minor injury at the Visakhapatam airport in a knife attack by a young man on Thursday, refused to record his statement with the Andhra Pradesh Police saying he has no trust in them.

Jagan, discharged from a hospital here on Friday, was approached by a police team to record his statement about Thursday's incident. The Leader of opposition in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly told the police team that he will give his statement to any other investigation agency.

Jagan, who had sustained an injury on his left arm and was admitted to the hospital after landing from Visakhapatnam on Thursday, spent about 24 hours in the hospital. The doctors advised him a week's rest.

The YSRCP chief later left for his residence in the city.

Jagan was attacked with a small knife by a youth working as a waiter at a restaurant at the airport and who came closer to the leader to take a selfie. The incident occurred when Jagan was waiting to board a flight to Hyderabad.

Meanwhile, YSRCP leader Y.V. Subba Reddy and two others moved the Hyderabad High Court on Friday, seeking probe by a central agency into the attack on Jagan.

Police in Visakhapatnam said they were still investigating the case. J. Srinivas Rao, who was arrested immediately after the attack, will be produced before a magistrate later in the day.

Visakhapatnam Police Commissioner Mahesh Chandra Laddha told reporters on Friday that the police would seek custody of the accused.

Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police R.P. Thakur had said on Thursday that the accused was Jagan's fan. He said the youth might have carried out the attack for publicity.

The police commissioner said the accused used a small knife generally used in cockfights. "It was eight centimetres long and of this only 3 centimetres was the sharp portion," he said.

The ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) reiterated allegations that the attack on Jagan was part of a conspiracy to destabilize the state. Its leaders alleged that Jagan, the BJP, Pawan Kalyan and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrshekhar Rao were behind the conspiracy.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu's son and cabinet minister Nara Lokesh on Friday termed the incident a drama by YSRCP.

Lokesh tweeted that Jagan staged the drama due to fear of another defeat in the elections.