RRR Custodial Torture Case: IPS Officer Sunil Nayak Appears Before Enquiry Officer in Amaravati

Amaravathi, March 5: In a significant development in the high-profile custodial torture case involving Andhra Pradesh Assembly Deputy Speaker K. Raghurama Krishnam Raju (RRR), IPS officer M. Sunil Kumar Nayak appeared before the enquiry officer in Amaravati today, March 5, 2026.

The case dates back to May 2021, when RRR—then a Member of Parliament—was arrested by the Andhra Pradesh CID on sedition charges. Following his release, he alleged that he was subjected to brutal third-degree torture while in custody. After the change in government in 2024, a fresh case was registered at the Nagarampalem police station in Guntur, naming former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and several high-ranking police officials as accused.

Sunil Kumar Nayak, a 2005-batch IPS officer of the Bihar cadre who was serving as DIG of the AP CID during the 2021 incident, is listed as Accused No. 7 (A7) in the FIR. His appearance follows a dramatic series of events in late February. On February 23, 2026, a special team of AP Police traveled to Patna to take Nayak into custody. While he was briefly detained, a Bihar court rejected the AP Police’s request for transit remand, citing procedural lapses in interstate arrest protocols. Subsequently, legal proceedings moved to the AP High Court, which eventually facilitated his cooperation with the ongoing investigation.

Nayak is currently serving as the Inspector General of Police (Fire Services) in Bihar. During today’s session in Amaravati, he was questioned regarding the specific protocols followed during RRR’s custody and the chain of command that led to the alleged physical assault. Investigative officers are looking to corroborate the victim’s statement with the logs and testimonies of the officers present at the CID office at the time.

This case has become a focal point of political debate in Andhra Pradesh, as it involves several other top-tier officers, including former CID chief P.V. Sunil Kumar and former Intelligence chief P.S.R. Anjaneyulu. The state government has signaled a “zero-tolerance” policy toward custodial violence, while the opposition has termed the investigation a “political vendetta.”