All 41 accused, including senior Kapu community leader Mudragada Padmanabham, YSR Congress party MLA Dadishetty Raja and Telugu Desam Party leader Akula Ramakrishna, have been acquitted in connection with the 2016 arson incident in Tuni town in Andhra Pradesh. The incident led to an attack on a passenger train. The court cited a lack of evidence and dismissed the case, ordering action against three Railway Protection Force investigating officers for taking more than five years to complete the investigation. The court also questioned the reasons for the delay.
Mudragada Padmanabham held the Kapu Garjana Sabha in Tuni town in January 2016, demanding the inclusion of Kapus in the Backward Class category. Violence broke out when some people who had taken part in the meeting entered the Tuni railway station and attacked the Ratnachal Express with stones. They set a few coaches on fire, injuring some police personnel and passengers.
The accused were booked under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, Indian Railways Act, 1989, and Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984. After the YSRCP formed the government, it dropped 51 of the 69 cases filed by the previous TDP administration against protesters for acts of violence. Advocate Narsimharao Narharishetty, who appeared on behalf of the accused, said that some miscreants infiltrated the meeting and caused violence. He argued that the previous TDP government filed cases against several leaders to create a false impression that the Kapu community was engaged in rioting.
