Agnipath arson accused Avula Subba Rao moves bail petition at Nampally court

Vijayawada: The accused in the Agnipath scheme-related arson incident at Secunderabad railway station, Avula Subba Rao, moved a bail petition in the criminal court in Nampally on Monday.

Rao, director of the Sai Defence Academy, was booked under Section 150 of the Railways Act, 1989, and under 307 of IPC. He was listed as accused-64 along with accused-1 Madhusudhan and accused-2 Prudviraj.

His lawyer Alexander Sudhakar moved the bail petition on behalf of his client. He argued that Rao deserved bail. He said that in a preliminary inquiry conducted by the government railway police and other agencies, no incriminating evidence was found in Rao’s mobile phone vis-à-vis the allegations that he had instigated job- aspirants in defence forces to resort to violence against the Agnipath scheme.

Though eight WhatsApp groups were found to have shared information before the arson at the Secunderabad railway station, Rao was not an administrator to any of these groups, the lawyer said.

His lawyer admitted that his client extended support to the job aspirants to stage protests by holding placards in a non-violent manner and submit a representation to the army recruitment officer in Secunderabad to express their opposition to the Agnipath scheme, as they did in Guntur railway station on June 14. However, the protest in Secunderabad turned violent with some anti-social elements going on a rampage and burning railway property, he said.

He alleged that the government railway police was working at the behest of the ruling TRS government to implicate his client in the arson, in order to “safeguard the real culprits.”

Lawyer Sudhakar said, “We are confident that Avula Subba Rao will emerge innocent in the case as no incriminating evidence was found against him either related to the arson or in provoking anyone to do so.”