KHAMMAM: On a day when the entire country was rejoicing in the Independence Day celebrations, the residents of Teladarupalli in Khammam rural mandal were shaken by the ghastly murder of TRS leader Tammineni Krishnaiah on Monday.
Blood spilled on the road as four assailants waylaid Krishnaiah and hacked him to death in broad daylight. Ironically, the gruesome murder was committed when Krishnaiah was returning on a bike, with his car driver K Muthesam as pillion, immediately after unfurling the national flag at Ponnekal Rythu Vedika. The assailants, who arrived in an autorickshaw first knocked the bike and when Krishnaiah and his car driver fell, they attacked him with sickles and knives. They also cut off his wrists and carried the limbs with them.
According to Additional SP Subhash Chandra Bose, the shocking incident took place at 11.15 am. Krishnaiah, who was a follower of former minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, was originally a CPI activist but had defected to the TRS following serious differences with local CPM activists. A cousin of CPM State Secretary Tammineni Veerabhadram, he had served as director of Andhra Bank Karshaka Seva Sahakara Sangham and also as the director of Tekulapalli Primary Agriculture Cooperative Society.
Krishnaiah’s men ransack CPM leader’s house
Meanwhile, Khammam rural police registered a case based on a complaint lodged by Krishnaiah’s son Naveen and launched an investigation. Krishnaiah’s daughter Rajitha demanded the arrest of CPM State secretary Tammineni Veerabhadram and his brother Koteswara Rao. As soon as the news of the murder broke out, Krishaniah’s supporters raided the house of Koteswara Rao, holding him responsible for the crime. They ransacked his house and upset the furniture. There was no one in the house when Krishnaiah’s supporters broke in.
As tension peaked, the police set up a picket and deployed 100 personnel.Muttesham, who was the eyewitness to the crime, identified the four accused as Nukala Lingaiah, Bodapalli Srinu, Gajji Krishna Swamy and Cheviti Nageswara Rao.On earlier occasions too, there were attempts on Krishnaiah’s life after he left the CPM. His rivals bore a grudge against him after he got his wife elected as a local MPTC member and won in the cooperative society elections.
Krishnaiah’s widow, Mangatayi alleged that her husband was murdered cruelly due to political rivalry. She said the police could not prevent the crime though there has been trouble often. Krishnaiah had a few granite factories in Khammam Rural mandal. Meanwhile, former minister Tummala Nageswara Rao paid a visit to the hospital where a post-mortem examination was performed on Krishnaiah’s body and commiserated with his relatives.
“Some people were jealous of personal growth and are committing such cowardly acts. Development will stop with such incidents,” he said. He said there was no place for violence in democracy and appealed to Krishnaiah’s supporters to exercise restraint. He urged the police to take stringent action against the culprits.