ANANTAPUR: Golla Adeppa (50), former upa sarpanch and TDP leader, was murdered near Mechiri village in Rayadurgam mandal of Anantapur district on Tuesday night.
According to reports reaching the district headquarters, unidentified assailants killed Adeppa in Karnataka and dumped his body on the road near his village Mechiri. Some farmers found the body while going to their fields on Wednesday morning, and alerted the police. Kalyanadurgam DSP Srinivasulu and Guntakal DSP Shiva Bhaskar Reddy and a police team visited the spot. A clues team and a sniffer dog squad from Anantapur were pressed into service.
Mechiri witnessed clashes between TDP and YSRC groups last year. It was alleged that police registered cases against TDP activists during the previous YSRC regime.
A dispute over the temple priesthood between Adeppa and his rivals might have led to his murder. The murder of Adeppa led to tense situation in the village. Based on a complaint lodged by his family members, the police registered a case.
In a statement, TDP State president Palla Srinivasa Rao condemned the murder of Adeppa. He alleged that YSRC activists ambushed and killed Adeppa while he was returning home from Karnataka.
He accused the YSRC of resorting to murder politics as nine TDP activists have been killed after the NDA alliance came to power in the State.