BHUPALPALLY: The man who had filed a complaint alleging corruption in the construction of Lakshmi (Medigadda) barrage was brutally murdered in Bhupalpally town on Wednesday night.
The deceased, Nagavelli Rajalingamurthy, was a resident of Bhupalpally and the husband of former councillor Sarala from the 15th ward of Bhupalpally Municipality.
In October 2023, Murthy had filed a case at the Bhupalpally police station, seeking registration of an FIR against former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, former irrigation minister T Harish Rao and others, alleging corruption in the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS).
After the police refused to register an FIR, he approached the local magistrate court, which rejected his plea. He then approached the Principal Sessions Court, Bhupalpally, which issued notices to KCR, Harish Rao and others. However, the Telangana High Court gave stay on the case.
Murthy, who joined the Congress before the Assembly elections, was attacked while travelling through Reddy colony. Unidentified assailants attacked him with sickles and knives. Despite attempting to escape, he was struck on the head, collapsed on the road in a pool of blood and died on the spot.
In his petition, Rajalingamurthy cited the sinking of the piers of Medigadda in October 2023, and the visit of officials from National Dam Safety Authority, several politicians and others to the barrage and contended that the respondents misappropriated public money.
Upon receiving information about the attack on Rajalingamurthy, Bhupalpally town police rushed to the spot and shifted him to the Singareni hospital, where the doctors confirmed his death.
Bhupalpally DSP A Sampath Rao stated that three or four unidentified persons were suspected to be involved in the murder. Murthy was involved in several land disputes and police suspect locals might be responsible for the murder.
Police teams have been deployed to identify the culprits and the body has been sent to the Bhupalpally Government Hospital for postmortem.