YS Vivekananda Reddy murder: Case deviates from ‘factional murders’

Hyderabad: Scenario 1: YSR Congress leader Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy, who was murdered in Friday, was to get his party’s ticket to contest from Pulivendula constituency. Could someone else benefit (by getting the ticket) and possibly win if he was no more?

As the SIT probing the Vivekananda Reddy murder case struggles to achieve a breakthrough, all that the investigators seem to have concluded so far is that the hired assassin knew the topography of the house very well, which means the murder was pre-planned.

Sources associated with the investigation told this newspaper that they are faced with a number of motives for the murder political, business/financial, or factional, with the slugfest between the TD and the YSRC at an all-time high as the state goes to the polls on April 11 — but no credible information has yet come their way.

While TD supremo and AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is said to be taking a personal interest in the case and monitoring the probe on an hourly basis, his implacable foe, YSRC chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, has blamed Mr Naidu for the murder and wants the case to be handed over to the CBI.

The SIT, sources said, had come across certain inputs which hint at the possibility of Vivekananda Reddy joining the TD. But the TD is projecting the murder as a “family affair” (indicating that someone from the Reddy family is behind it). At the same time there is no information or lead forthcoming from the YSRC camp to indicate who in the YSRC could have benefitted from Vivekananda Reddy’s death.

Interestingly, the analysis of the investigators to a question on whether it could be a factional murder is that the history of factional murders suggests that most killings are carried out in the open, with sickles or axes, and the killers are usually known.

“That does not appear to be the case as it was done quietly where there is not the slightest clue about the killer,” the sources said, adding that there are many distractions.

The sleuths also believe that the bloodied letter, purportedly written by Vivekananda Reddy, was done so under duress. “The initial assessment is that it is his handwriting but it appears that the killer forced him to write it before finally killing him,” the source said.

It is learnt that over the last few days, Vivekananda Reddy had been tasked with pacifying disgruntled leaders in the YSRC who appeared to be in touch with the TD and were planning to quit the party.

Scenario 2: There were murmurs in political circles that Mr Reddy could jump over to the TD camp just before the elections, as he was disenchanted with his party, and therefore he was eliminated.

His WhatsApp chats appear “routine”, while his call logs, which are still being analysed minutely have not thrown up any concrete clue so far, except to suggest that Vivekananda Reddy was part of some financial dealings that could be related to property or business.

The investigators seem to have concluded so far is that the hired assassin knew the topography of the house very well.