Sai Krishna custodial death: National Human Rights Commission seeks report from DGP

Rajamahendravaram: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has directed the Director General of Police (DGP) to submit a detailed report within four weeks on the progress of the investigation into the alleged custodial death of 26-year-old Gade Sai Krishna at Krishna Lanka Police Station in Vijayawada.

The Commission registered the complaint under Case No 808/1/39/2026-AD, with Linked Diary No 13905/IN/2026, following a complaint lodged by Balu Akkisa, Director of Human Rights Watch. The complaint alleged that Sai Krishna, a native of NTR district, died after being illegally detained and subjected to severe torture by personnel of Krishna Lanka Police Station.

According to the complaint, the police allegedly attempted to cover up the incident by transporting the victim’s body on a two-wheeler to a cremation ground, cremating it and subsequently immersing the remains in a river. Balu Akkisa specifically named Circle Inspector Nagaraju and sought stringent action against him and other officials allegedly involved in the incident.

He also urged the Commission to ensure the preservation of CCTV footage from the police station and order an independent investigation.

The complaint further alleged that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) had expressed preliminary suspicion of custodial death. Circle Inspector Nagaraju, identified as the prime accused, was suspended and remanded to judicial custody. Balu Akkisa also alleged that CCTV surveillance recordings from the police station had gone missing and were deliberately erased in an attempt to destroy evidence.

Referring to the report submitted by the AP DGP on July 3, 2026, Balu Akkisa said the SIT investigation appeared to be proceeding in the right direction. However, the physical remains of Sai Krishna had reportedly not yet been recovered.

The NHRC has specifically asked the DGP to inform it within four weeks about the progress of the investigation and the steps taken to trace and recover the physical remains of the deceased, observing that they could play a crucial role in further proceedings against the accused.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Deekshitula Subrahmanyam

[email protected]

Deekshitula RV Subrahmanyam is a Staff Reporter with The Hans India, covering the erstwhile East and West Godavari districts, along with Alluri Sitarama Raju and Polavaram districts. A journalist with experience of over three decades, he began his career as a Telugu mofussil reporter in 1991. He writes extensively on politics, tribal affairs, rural development, tourism, development, and human-interest stories He is the author of the six-part Telugu prose Ramayana Sitarama Kathasudha and has received several literary and journalistic honours, including the JCI Young Writer Award, Vadlamudi Rammohan Rao Memorial Award and Madduri Annapurnayya Memorial Award.

Read More