Angry supporters ransack tahsildar office
Representational photo
Anantapur: YSRC leader Bhumireddy Prasad Reddy, 50, of Prasannayapalli in Rapthadu Assembly constituency, was hacked to death in the tahsildar’s office at Rapthadu in broad daylight on Wednesday. Six assailants barged into the tehsildar’s office, a few metres away from the police station, and attacked Prasad Reddy, who was holding discussions with the revenue officials. They used hunting sickles and fled after the attack. Mr. Prasad Reddy died on the spot. Shell-shocked at the sudden attack, the tahsildar office alerted the police station and the close ai-des of the leader who were gathered outside the office.
As the news spread, YSRC activists from various parts of Rapthadu mandal and mainly from Prasannayapalli gathered and ransacked the tahsildar’s office. The angry activists set records and vehicles on fire and damaged furniture. Prasad Reddy was a native of Prasannayapalli village in Rapthadu mandal, who was a mandal level leader formerly worked as YSRC mandal convener.
There has been faction rivalry for last 12 years in which Prasad Reddy was accused in triple murder case. Though family members of two deceased compromised with Pra-sad Reddy, a third family was still at loggerhead with Reddy and the rivalry continued. Police had also busted a plot by faction rivals of Prasad Reddy to eliminate him a year ago. With the Rapthadu falling under Rapthadu Asse-mbly constituency represented by civil supplies minister Paritala Sun-itha, further tension gripped the YSRC leaders who accuse that Sunitha and her family of having connection in the murder.
Former MLA B. Gurunath Reddy broke down after seeing the body of his close acolyte Prasad Reddy in a pool of blood at the tehsildar office. He accused the police of refusing security to the leader even after many representations. A tense situation prevailed after a large number of YSRC activists gathered at the tehsildar’s office located near the NH-44 . Anantapur SP S.V. Rajasekhar Babu rushed to the spot with additional forces. The situation is still tense at Prasannayapalli, Rapt-hadu and Anantapur general hospital where body was shifted for post mortem.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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