Taking serious view of the allegations of rape and intimidation of a woman government employee by Jana Sena Party MLA from Railway Koduru constituency Arava Sridhar, party president and deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan ordered an internal probe.
According to an official statement, following directions from Pawan Kalyan, the state executive committee of the party has decided to initiate an inquiry into the allegations made against Sridhar, following media reports and accusations levelled by a woman.
As part of the investigation, the party has constituted a three-member committee to examine the matter and verify the facts surrounding the claims. The committee comprises T. Shivashankar, Thamballapalli Ramadevi, and T.C. Varun.
According to the party’s decision, the accused MLA has been directed to appear before the committee and submit his explanation within seven days.
The committee will conduct a detailed inquiry into the allegations and submit its findings in the form of a report to the party leadership. The party will review the report before taking a final decision.
Meanwhile, until the inquiry is completed and a final verdict is announced, the party has made it clear that Arava Sridhar should stay away from all party programmes and activities.
Meanwhile, the Andhra Pradesh state women’s commission also has taken serious note of allegations made against the Rail Koduru MLA.
Commission Chairperson Rayapati Sailaja spoke with the complainant over the phone on Tuesday and gathered details of the incident.
She assured the woman that a comprehensive inquiry would be conducted and that appropriate action would be taken after verifying the facts.
The controversy erupted after a video went viral in which a government employee working in the same constituency alleged that MLA Sridhar sexually assaulted her and cheated her by promising marriage.
Meanwhile, the MLA’s mother, Prameela, expressed anguish before the media, claiming that the woman was making deliberate and false accusations against her son.
Janasena leader Tatamshetti Nagendra alleged that the complainant had demanded Rs 25 crore from the MLA and claimed that the party possessed audio and video evidence of threats made by her.
Responding to the accusations, Sridhar released a video statement denying all allegations. He claimed that certain individuals were spreading misinformation and running a malicious campaign against him.
He also alleged that deepfake videos were being used to defame him and stated that he would respond through legal channels. Sridhar warned that those responsible would not be spared.
