Former sarpanch and Telangana Rashtra Samithi leader of Yarkaram village, 20 kms from district headquarters, was found dead in a pool of blood allegedly after a sickle-wielding chase and attack by rivals from Congress here in the wee-hours of Saturday.
Onteddu Venkanna, aged about 40, was found dead with injuries all over the head and face, at around 2 a.m. by the police.
According to Suryapet Rural police, Venkanna, along with other leaders, was going around in the village a little after 1.15 a.m., reportedly ensuring voter and polling preparedness for the primary agriculture cooperative society elections scheduled to begin at 7 a.m.
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His rivals belonging to the Congress party attacked him with sickles and sticks, the police said. “It appears to be a pre-planned murder over issues gone bad between both the parties in the past. Venkanna after suffering initial injuries ran into and locked himself up in one Veeraiah’s house, but the attackers broke open the doors and attacked again with sharp-edged weapons and a grinding stone there till he was dead,” a senior official said.
“Vadde Yellaiah and others of the Congress are the prime suspects, they are presently absconding,” the police added.
A few villagers, who claimed to have seen and heard the attack, said the group of people left within minutes after ensuring he was dead. An uneasy calm prevailed in Yarkaram throughout the day with heavy police presence, and later with the body of Venkanna arriving from the hospital after the post-mortem. Leaders of various parties visited the bereaved family to offer condolences.
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DSP Nageswara Rao deployed expert teams to collect evidence, and later ensuring peaceful atmosphere he inspected bandobust arrangements in Yarkaram. The Suryapet Rural police is investigating into the murder.