TDP leader Atchannaidu discharged from hospital, shifted to Vijayawada sub-jail

Vijayawada: The former TDP minister, Kinjarapu Atchannaidu, was shifted to the Vijayawada sub-jail on 1 July after he was discharged from the Government General Hospital (GGH) in Guntur. TDP leaders and activists, however, have claimed that he was forcibly discharged before he had fully recovered based on the state government's orders.

On 12 June, officials of the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) had arrested Mr. Atchannaidu and five others over their alleged involvement in the Rs. 150-crore ESI scam during the TDP regime. The TDP leader had been undergoing treatment at the GGH since his arrest. The ACB court is likely to hear his bail petition on Thursday. Earlier, the court had extended his remand till 10 July.

The GGH Guntur doctors had discharged the TDP leader after they observed that his health had improved in the past two days. However, TDP leaders and activists, who staged a protest in front of the hospital, have alleged that Mr. Atchannaidu's abrupt discharge was part of the YSRCP government's revenge.

#Watch: Former Minister and TDP MLA K Atchannaidu is being shifted to a jail, amid tight security. pic.twitter.com/Zp7puQByfs

— NewsMeter (@NewsMeter_In) July 1, 2020

[amp-tweet tweetid="https://twitter.com/NewsMeter_In/status/1278313733018640384"]

A delegation of senior TDP leaders met the GGH superintendent, K. Sudhakar, on Tuesday and submitted a memorandum asking him not to discharge Mr. Atchannaidu without following the due protocols.

The ACB officials have interrogated Mr. Atchannaidu about his role in the multi-crore ESI scandal in GGH following the court directive. Though the TDP leader requested the GGH superintendent not to discharge him as his colonoscopy report was pending, the hospital officials discharged the leader following instructions from the YSR Congress Party leaders, alleged the TDP.

On Wednesday, the ACB team reached the hospital with additional force and took custody of the TDP leader and took him to the sub-Jail in Vijayawada city. TDP supremo Nara Chandrababu Naidu has strongly criticised the sudden discharge of Mr. Atchannaidu and said that he is being taken to the sub-jail to be tortured and harassed for bravely facing Chief Minister Y.S Jagan Mohan Reddy in the Assembly