Former Maoist Ganti Prasada Rao alias Ganti Prasadam, who had suffered severe injuries in an attack by some unknown persons on Thursday, succumbed to the injuries in the early hours of Friday.
Prasadam was attacked in the heart of Nellore town on Thursday while returning after a function. The attackers inflicted injuries with a sickle and also shot at him. Doctors at the Narayana Hospital, where he was rushed for treatment, did their best to save him but in vain. They declared Prasadam dead around 00.30 am on Friday.
“We gave the necessary treatment to save Prasadam’s life but in vain. His body did not respond to the treatment and he died of respiratory and other problems,’’ the doctors said.
Prasadam’s body was brought to the DSR Government Hospital here on Friday afternoon for a post-mortem and was later handed over to his family members around 3.15 pm. Prasadam’s wife G Kameswaramma and son Sudheer, who came to the hospital, were inconsolable after seeing Prasadam’s body being brought out of the mortuary. A pall of gloom descended at the hospital with a large number of activists of revolutionary parties and civil society thronging to have a last look at the body of their departed leader. The premises reverberated with slogans of ‘Ganti Prasadam Amar Rahe’ and ‘Viplavaveerulaku Maranam Ledu’ and the body was taken out in a procession for some distance and later it was shifted to his native place, where his last rites are likely to be performed on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Virasam has alleged that Prasadam’s killing was a pre-planned conspiracy by police. Virasam leader Kalyan Rao demanded an impartial probe into the incident.
Speaking to newsmen, he said that it had become a common practice for the police and the government to kill those who fought for social cause and added that several other leaders were murdered in the same manner earlier. He said that neither police nor the government would be able to suppress the movements.
The district police dismissed the allegations. “Where is the need for us to kill him. The truth will come out in the investigation,’’ district SP VVS Ramakrishna said. He said that special teams had been formed to trace the assailants. Police reportedly gathered vital information from a nearby coconut vendor, from whom the assailants had snatched a sickle to attack Prasadam, and some others present near the hospital during the attack.