TDP leader murdered in Andhra Pradesh’ Kurnool, probe underway: Police
The assailants threw chilli powder in his eyes and attacked Vakiti Srinivasulu indiscriminately with rods and sickles on his head and neck, leading to his death on the spot
A senior Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader was murdered in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district on Wednesday morning, police said.
The deceased was identified as Vakiti Srinivasulu (45), former sarpanch of Hosuru village.
According to Kurnool superintendent of police (SP) Garikapati Bindu Madhav, the incident happened when Srinivasulu was going to his fields in the village at around 6am.
“The assailants threw chilli powder in his eyes and attacked him indiscriminately with rods and sickles on his head and neck, leading to his death on the spot, the SP said.
“The police found some beer bottles closer to the spot, indicating that the accused had planned the murder in advance,” the SP added.
“We are investigating the murder from all angles – including the possibility of a family dispute or a political rivalry in the village,” Madhav said, adding that special teams had been formed to probe the killing.
Condemning the murder, TDP’s Pattikonda MLA K E Shyam Babu said the deceased was his close follower and had actively worked for the party’s victory in the recent assembly elections.
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Babu demanded the police to identify the perpetrators and arrest the accused involved.
TDP general secretary and state education minister Nara Lokesh blamed the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) for the incident.
“They had killed him because he had played a key role in the victory of the TDP in the recent elections. Despite being rejected by the people, Jagan (YSRCP president)’s gang is committing such atrocities without changing their old ways,” he alleged.
YSRCP refuted the allegations made by the TDP leaders, including Lokesh.
“It is shameful on the part of Lokesh to utter lies with regard to the murder of a TDP worker, when the police themselves said there was no scope for any political murders in the village,” the party said in a statement on X.