Vijayawada: Home minister Nimmakayala Chinarajappa said that the accused in the attack on a journalist at Chirala would be dealt with as per law. When DC brought up MLA Amanchi Krishna Mohan’s brother Sreenivasa Rao threatening the journalist fraternity in Prakasham district, the minister said the police would be impartial, and the government would not spare criminals.
Chinarajappa avoided a direct answer on why the police didn’t take stern action against the attackers. Chirala MLA Amanchi Krishna Mohan’s brother and his followers attacked news magazine journalist Nagar-juna Reddy for writing about irregularities in MGNREGS fund allocation.
The victim is undergoing treatment at Guntur General Hospital. He alleged that Amanchi had a grudge against him for writing about his deeds in the last 10 years. He said that 25 to 30 followers of the MLA led by his brother had attacked him for questioning the MLA’s acts. He asked the police to check CCTV footage and to take action against the attackers. When DC tried to contact Chirala town CI he didn’t take the call. Interestingly, the Chirala police was given instructions to go slow in the case by higher ups.
Meanwhile, journalists organised human chains in Podili, Singarayakonda, Kanigiri and Ongole on Monday in protest against the attack on the journalist. They submitted a memorandum to the Ongole tahasildar.
