A local leader of the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) was hacked to death by unidentified assailants at Teldarupalli village in Khammam rural mandal on Monday.
The deceased was identified as 62-year-old Tammineni Krishnaiah, a staunch follower of the TRS leader and former minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, of Teldarupalli.
Mr. Krishnaiah was riding pillion on a motorcycle when some five unidentified persons travelling in an autorickshaw hit the bike from behind, on the outskirts of Teldarupalli.
Both the person driving the bike and Mr. Krishnaiah fell down in the middle of the road and in a split second the assailants attacked Mr. Krishnaiah with some sharp-edged weapons indiscriminately, killing him on the spot. The bike driver managed to escape from the incident site.
The gruesome killing in broad daylight sparked tension in Teldarupalli, known as a politically sensitive village and known to be a traditional stronghold of the CPI (M).
As the news of the brutal killing of Mr. Krishnaiah spread, a group of irate villagers ransacked the house of CPI (M) local functionary Tammineni Koteshwara Rao, brother of CPI (M) State secretary Tammineni Veerabhadram, triggering commotion in the village.
A large posse of police personnel rushed to Teldarupalli to defuse tension in the village, known for its long-standing inter-party rivalries.
Sources said that Mr. Krishnaiah had joined the ruling TRS from the CPI (M) a few years ago. He had been actively associated with the TRS activities in the village since then.
He is currently director of the Teldarupalli Primary Agricultural Cooperative Credit Society and his wife is the MPTC member.
The local police suspect “political rivalry” to be the motive behind the murder. Special teams fanned out to track down the assailants, police sources said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Tummala Nageswara Rao paid his last respects to the mortal remains of Mr. Krishnaiah at the mortuary in the District Headquarters Hospital in Khammam. Strongly condemning the brutal murder of Mr. Krishnaiah, Mr. Rao urged the police to bring the culprits to book and ensure stringent punishment to the killers.
He appealed to the party cadres to maintain restraint and desist from any attacks.
In a statement, CPI (M) district secretary Nunna Nageswara Rao condemned the gruesome murder of Mr. Krishnaiah. He sought severe punishment to the killers. He also condemned the attack on the house of the party functionary Mr. Koteshwara Rao by a mob resulting in huge loss of property.
Seeking strict action against the mob responsible for the vandalism, he called upon the police to prevent mob attacks and protect law and order in the village.
