K S Vyas

The murder trial of KS Vyas, a 1974-batch IPS officer, by CPI (ML) Peoples War Group (now known as CPI Maoists) has revealed the corrupt face of Andhra Pradesh police. DIG Vyas was killed by Naxalites on January 27, 1993, at LB Stadium, while jogging.

One of Vyas' colleagues, V Dinesh Reddy, now DGP Andhra Pradesh, was a key witness in the case in which 21 persons, including some top Naxal leaders were charge-sheeted. Vyas was killed for his role in taking on the Naxal movement in AP, with the establishment of ‘Greyhounds’, an elite anti-Naxal squad formed on the lines of the NSG.

But, the case was almost quashed, as the police could not nail the guilty when they were produced before the court in Hyderabad. Only five of the 21 accused were caught, and of them four were freed by the court. The fifth, Mekala Damodar Reddy, died during the trial.

A former Naxalite, Nayeemuddin, who was a co-accused in the case, fled, and has still not been found. Another accused, K Sammaiah, died after he ‘accidentally’ fell while boarding a flight.