NIZAMABAD: Congress leader and former Naxalite Immadi Gopi (55), a state executive member of the Mudiraj Mahasabha, was murdered in Gouraram village under the limits of the Indalwai Police Station in Nizamabad district on Wednesday night.
According to Indalwai police, Gopi, a native of Lingapur village, had travelled to Gouraram and was returning home when his vehicle was hit by another vehicle near the Gouraram power substation around 10 pm. Police said Gopi sustained injuries and died on the spot.
After reaching the scene, the police found that he had suffered injuries to his chest and other parts of his body caused by knife attacks. During the investigation, police learnt that the vehicle which hit Gopi’s car belonged to his nephew. Meanwhile, Gopi’s wife, Laxmi, lodged a complaint alleging that her husband’s vehicle had been struck by a car belonging to his son-in-law, Satheesh.
After the collision, Satheesh and his supporters allegedly dragged Gopi out of the vehicle and attacked him with knives, leading to his death. Police said the two had a history of rivalry. The body was shifted to the Government General Hospital in Nizamabad for postmortem examination, and a murder case has been registered.
Nizamabad Deputy Commissioner of Police Baswa Reddy inspected the crime scene on Thursday. No one has been detained so far. Meanwhile, Nizamabad Rural MLA R Bhupathi Reddy visited the deceased’s residence and consoled the family members.
Speaking to reporters, he said violence in politics would not be tolerated and urged police to conduct an impartial investigation and punish the accused through the courts. Gopi was a former Mandal Praja president and was previously involved in the Naxalite movement. His family plans to conduct his funeral on Friday, as his son is returning from London.