ONGOLE: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday visited Ammanabrolu village in Naguluppalapadu mandal in Prakasam district to pay respects to the slain TDP leader Muppavarapu Veeraiah Chowdary, whose body bore 53 stab wounds.
Naidu offered floral tributes, draped the party flag over the body, and extended heartfelt condolences to Veeraiah’s family, pledging the party’s full support.
Addressing the gathering, he condemned the savage murder, and vowed to ensure the culprits face justice, sending a strong message to lawbreakers.
Joining Naidu were State Ministers V Anitha, Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, Dola Sree Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy, Gottipati Ravi Kumar, MLAs Damacharla Janardhan Rao, BN Vijay Kumar, MM Kondaiah Yadav, AP Maritime Board Chairman Damacharla Satyanarayana, and others, who also paid homage. A large crowd of TDP leaders and supporters mourned their leader.
Prakasam police, under SP AR Damodar and Bapatla SP Thushar Dudi, enforced strict security for the CM’s visit, stationing forces in Ammanabrolu, at Chadalawada helipad, and along the convoy route. Veeraiah’s killing, the first major political murder in Ongole since the 2013 slaying of Praja Rajyam Party’s Vellampalli Gopi, left the city tense.
On the Chief Minister’s directive, Home Minister Anitha arrived in Ongole early, inspecting the crime scene and visiting Veeraiah’s remains at the RIMS mortuary.
SP Damodar, who reached the site soon after the incident, said four masked assailants on a bike and a scooter stormed Veeraiah’s office around 7.0 pm, locked an office assistant and another person in a room, threatened a witness, and fled after confirming Veeraiah’s death.
Police have secured CCTV footage and evidence. Six CIs, 10 SIs and their teams are investigating the case from all angles to apprehend the suspects swiftly, the SP added.