AP Skill Development scam: Naidu reaches Central Prison, Rajamahendravaram; TDP calls for bandh

Rajamahendravaram: Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu reached the Central Prison here in the early hours of Monday after a court in Vijayawada sent him to judicial custody for 14 days in a multi-crore corruption case, officials said.

He reached the jail after a nearly 200-km journey to Rajamahendravaram in East Godavari district from Vijayawada.

Chandrababu Naidu went to the prison around 1:20 a.m. He is remand prisoner number 7691.

Home-cooked food, medication, and a special room were among the amenities granted by the court to Naidu during his judicial custody. The 73-year-old former chief minister has been provided with a separate accommodation inside the jail in view of the purported threat to his life. He is a Z-plus category security protected. Naidu is lodged in a special room in Sneha Block.

Naidu's son and TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh trailed his father to the prison gates and waited outside for some time before leaving.

According to the detention order, the judge highlighted that there are grounds to believe the accusations leveled against Naidu, and 24 hours were not enough to complete the investigation.

Naidu was arrested in the Rs 371 Crore Skill Development Corporation scam case following a pre-dawn operation on Saturday at Nandyala, which involved officers knocking on the door of the caravan in which he was sleeping. He was arrested by the CID around 6 a.m. on Saturday from a marriage hall outside which his caravan was parked.

In a way to avoid any untoward incidents on the way to the jail, the police took into custody TDP cadres who had surrounded the ACB court in Vijayawada protesting for their leader’s release. Tight security has been set up around the jail premises.

State bandh:

Meanwhile, TDP has called for a state-wide bandh in protest against Chandrababu Naidu's arrest. TDP leader Kinjerapu Atchen Naidu called upon people's union and party cadres to actively take part in the bandh. Jana Sena party chief Pawan Kalyan has extended his support.

On Monday morning, many parts of the state have been deployed with police to avoid any protests or stoppage of RTC buses.