Telugu Desam Party working president and Andhra Pradesh Information Technology Minister Nara Lokesh on Wednesday criticised YSR Congress Party leader and former minister Sidiri Appala Raju over the recent hit-and-run case allegedly involving his son, Aarav.
Speaking to reporters in Kadapa, Lokesh said parents have a responsibility to ensure that their children cooperate with the law when they are involved in such incidents.
Referring to the fatal accident allegedly involving Appala Raju’s son, Lokesh said that if a child returns home after causing a road accident, the parents have a basic moral responsibility to advise him to surrender before the police and face legal proceedings.
He said it was inappropriate to make public statements defending the accused when a person had lost his life in the accident.
Drawing a comparison, Lokesh referred to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act case involving the son of Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar. He said Bandi Sanjay had personally taken his son to the police and ensured that he cooperated with the investigation after the allegations surfaced.
“If a Union minister in Telangana could personally produce his son before the police, why couldn’t Sidiri Appala Raju do the same instead of making irresponsible statements?” Lokesh asked.
He said the family of the accused in the present case also had an obligation to cooperate with the legal process.
The controversy relates to a road accident that occurred at Kasibugga in Srikakulam district, in which an elderly shepherd named Danayya was killed. Police investigations reportedly indicated that Aarav, the son of former minister Sidiri Appala Raju, was riding the motorcycle involved in the accident on Friday night.
According to investigators, CCTV footage showed Aarav arriving alone on a motorcycle at a petrol station shortly before the accident. Police said the accident occurred about 500 metres away from the fuel station.
Investigators also reportedly found that Aarav had been taken away in a car before the police reached the accident spot.
The case sparked controversy after allegations emerged that the police initially did not name Aarav as the accused. Instead, they allegedly booked his friend, Siddharth Tyadi, arrested him and later released him on station bail.
The handling of the investigation has drawn criticism from political parties and sections of the public, with demands for a fair and impartial probe.
