PJR: Book YSR's relatives for murder attempt

Hyderabad(IANS): An Andhra Pradesh Congress leader refused to leave a police station here Monday, demanding that Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy's relatives be booked for attempt to murder, plunging the party in crisis.

MLA P. Janardhan Reddy was also protesting against the arrest of his family members. A court Monday morning sent his son P. Vishnuvardhan Reddy and son-in-law Santosh Reddy to judicial custody for allegedly assaulting the chief minister's brother Y.S. Ravindernath Reddy and nephew Y.S. Sumadhar Reddy Sunday night.

Vishnuvardhan and Santosh, booked for attempt to murder and on four other charges including rioting and criminal intimidation, were produced before a city magistrate and sent to jail till July 20.

Vishnuvardhan, who is also a youth Congress leader, and Santosh were taken to the Chanchalguda Central Jail even as Janardhan Reddy continued his protest at the Jubilee Hills police station.

PJR, as Janardhan Reddy is popularly known, was brought to the police station Sunday night after the clash between his son and the chief minister's kin triggered tension in the area.

All efforts by police officials to persuade him to leave the place have failed. He is insisting that the chief minister's relatives be arrested and for attempt to murder.

On a complaint by PJR's wife, the police have filed cases against the chief minister's brother and nephew but not for attempt to murder. Police have not yet arrested the duo.

While PJR's supporters were prevented by the police from going towards the police station and some of them were even arrested, dissident leaders of the Congress, leaders of other parties, especially those fighting for separate statehood for the Telangana region, have been pouring in to meet him.

The rivalry between Rajasekhara Reddy, who is in the Maldives celebrating his 58th birthday, and PJR took an ugly turn Sunday night as the family members of the two politicians clashed publicly over a petty issue.

The trouble started on a narrow road in the MLA Quarters in the posh Jubilee Hills neighbourhood when the chief minister's brother and nephew, who were returning home in a car, found another car blocking their way.

The car belonged to PJR's son, who was attending a function at his sister's house in the same area. The chief minister's brother Ravindernath blew the horn and that led to an argument between the two sides.

Ravindernath and his son alleged that they were beaten up by PJR's son and son-in-law. Soon PJR and other members of the two families reached there and the two groups nearly came to blows.

Police rushed to the scene and took PJR and his family members to the police station.

While Ravindernath and his son claimed that PJR's son and son-in-law assaulted them, PJR's wife Sulochanamma has lodged a complaint with the police saying that the chief minister's brother and nephew began the fight by abusing them and alleged that they beat her son and son-in-law.

The supporters of Janardhan Reddy also damaged four buses late Sunday.

Janardhan Reddy, who led the Congress party in the state assembly when it was in opposition from 1994 to 1999, is a bitter critic of the chief minister.

PJR, who represents Khairatabad assembly constituency in Hyderabad, has been criticising the style of functioning of the chief minister and opposed certain decisions of the government.