2021 custodial torture case: IPS officer Sunil Nayak arrested in Bihar

Amaravati: In a significant development in the alleged custodial torture case dating back to 2021, the Andhra Pradesh Police on Monday arrested IPS officer and the then Crime Investigation Department (CID) DIG M. Sunil Kumar Nayak in Bihar.

The arrest pertains to allegations of custodial abuse involving the former Narasapuram MP and current Deputy Speaker of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly, K. Raghurama Krishna Raju, during the previous YSRCP regime.

Sunil Kumar Naik, a 2005-batch IPS officer of the Bihar cadre. Earlier, he had served in Andhra Pradesh on deputation. After the change of government in 2024, Nayak returned to Bihar and is presently posted as Inspector General of Police (IGP) in the Bihar Fire Services Department.

Guntur district Superintendent of Police Vakul Jindal confirmed that the arrest was formally recorded and further legal proceedings are underway.

Sunil Kumar Nayak was listed as Accused No. 7 in the alleged custodial torture case. He is being brought on a transit warrant to Guntur, where a case was registered against him and others.

Background: Arrest during Covid-19 pandemic

The case traces back to May 14, 2021, when K. Raghurama Krishna Raju was arrested amid the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic. At the time, he was accused of making derogatory remarks against then Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Following his arrest, Raju stated that although he was recovering from cardiac surgery, he was neither medically examined nor presented before a court in Hyderabad. He alleged that he was manhandled, forcibly pushed into a police vehicle, and taken to Guntur the same night.

He further claimed that while being held at the CB-CID office, there was an attempt on his life during custody. According to him, Sunil Kumar, Seetharamanjeyulu, and others assaulted him with a rubber belt and a lathi, and denied him access to his prescribed medication.

The complainant alleged that even though they were fully aware that he had recently undergone bypass surgery, certain individuals sat on his chest and pressed down on it, in an attempt to kill him.

Fresh action after change in Government

After the TDP-led alliance assumed office in Andhra Pradesh in 2024, the case was revisited. Following a complaint lodged by the Nagarampalem Police in Guntur district, cases were registered against former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and three IPS officers, including Sunil Kumar Nayak.

On July 11, 2024, Raghurama Krishna Raju, the current MLA of Undi, lodged a complaint with the Guntur police, registered a case under Section 307 IPC (attempt to murder), Section 326 IPC (causing grievous hurt with dangerous weapons), and other applicable sections.

In his complaint, Raghurama Krishna Raju alleged that there was an attempt on his life during police custody. Police registered the FIR against the then CID chief P.V. Sunil Kumar, then Intelligence Chief Seetharamanjaneyulu, then Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy, Sunil Nayak, then Additional SP R. Vijaya Paul, then Superintendent of Government General Hospital Guntur, Dr Prabhavati and others.

Last year, police summoned Sunil Nayak for questioning in the case, but he failed to appear. Subsequent investigations gathered momentum, leading to the arrest of IPS officer Sunil Nayak outside the state.

Ongoing investigation

Officials also said that the investigation is continuing and further action may follow based on evidence collected. Authorities have not ruled out additional arrests as the probe progresses.

The case remains politically sensitive, given the involvement of senior officials and its connection to events during the previous administration.