Midhun Reddy held for ‘assault’ on AI official

The MP had allegedly assaulted an Air India Manager Rajasekhar in November 2015 after he failed to accommodate his relatives after the boarding time was lapsed. But the CCTV footage of the airport showed the manager being pushed around and threatened by the politician and at least a dozen of his supporters.

YSR Congress MP Mithun Reddy from Andhra Pradesh was arrested in the wee hours today along with another party leader for assaulting an Air India official late a year ago, police said.

According to reports, Reddy had arrived late at the Tirupati airport on November 27.

The case was registered on a complaint by Rajasekhar, Air India’s station manager at the airport.

The Hyderabad High Court had last week declined anticipatory bail to Reddy.

Earlier, YSRCP state legislator Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy was arrested in the same case and was later released on bail. The AP police had sought the help of the Union home ministry and alerted all worldwide airports with a lookout notice for Mithun Reddy.

He has been sent to a jail in Nellore on 14-day judicial remand. While cases had been slapped on Midhun Reddy under sections 448 (trespass), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 353 (assaulting a public servant) of Indian Penal Code, he remained at large for more than a month.

Reddy, a YSR Congress MP, represents Rajampet constituency in Kadapa district.

During the course of investigation, police had identified the alleged involvement of 19 persons, including the MP. Anticipating that they would foment trouble, six YSRCP MLAs were detained as a precaution ahead of the arrest of P V Mithun Reddy.