Chandrababu Naidu’s family alleges ‘immediate threat’ to his life in jail

The family of Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday alleged that there is an “undeniable and immediate threat” to his life in jail.

On September 9, the Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department arrested Naidu over his alleged involvement in siphoning off approximately Rs 371 crore belonging to the Skill Development Corporation through fictitious companies when he was the state’s chief minister. He is currently under judicial remand in the Rajamahendravaram central prison.

The investigating agency has also named Naidu as an accused in three other cases.

On Friday, Naidu’s son and Telugu Desam Party General Secretary Nara Lokesh in social media post alleged that his father had lost weight and is suffering from allergies.

The authorities, Lokesh alleged, are not providing him timely medical assistance. “The GoAP [Government of Andhra Pradesh] is trying to administer steroids to him,” he wrote.

Naidu’s wife Nara Bhuvaneswari said that further weight loss could have severe consequences for his kidneys. “The overhead water tanks are unsanitary and pose a serious health risk,” she added. “These dire circumstances create a clear and immediate threat to my husband’s life.”

Brahmani Nara, Naidu’s daughter-in-law, also flagged “unsanitary prison conditions” and said that he requires urgent medical help.

Telugu Desam Party state president K Atchen Naidu demanded that Naidu’s personal doctors be allowed to go and examine him in jail.

Superintendent of Prison M Raj Kumar told The Hindu that a team of dermatologists from the Government General Hospital in Rajamahendravaram have given him medicines for allergies on his face, hands and body. The 73-year-old is stable, Kumar said.

Earlier on Friday, the Andhra Pradesh High Court granted Naidu anticipatory bail in the Angallu violence case.

It pertains to the riots that took place during Naidu’s political rally in Annamayya district on August 4. Some ruling Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party workers and a few police personnel were injured during the clashes.

In the FiberNet Project case, the Supreme Court sought the response of the Andhra Pradesh government.

The project sought to offer internet and telephone services to every household in the state through installation of optic fibers.

The Crime Investigation Department has alleged that there are irregularities and misappropriation of funds to the tune of Rs 321 crores in the project Naidu launched when he was the chief minister. The agency has alleged that Naidu approved the estimates of the fiber net project even when no market survey was done for the items.

The tender process for the project was also manipulated to allot the work order for the first phase of Rs 330 crore to Tera Software company, according to the agency.