Honour killer photo with TRS mantri kicks up row
The photographs showed Maruthi Rao sharing the stage with Jagadishwar Reddy.
Hyderabad: Amidst allegations of the involvement of a former TRS legislator in the honour killing of a Dalit man last week, photographs showing T. Maruthi Rao, main accused in the murder, standing with caretaker minister G. Jagadishwar Reddy went viral on social media on Sunday. The photographs showed Maruthi Rao sharing the stage with Jagadishwar Reddy.
It was stated that Maruthi Rao had put up flexiboards to greet the minister on his birthday in Miryalaguda. Maruthi Rao was accused of ordering the murder of P. Pranay Kumar, who had married his daughter Amrutha Varshini. The release of the photographs came amidst allegations by Varshini that former TRS legislator Vemula Veeresham of Nakrekal had called her and her husband. “We had heard rumours that he was involved in the murder of Boddula Srinivas and refused to meet him,” Ms Varshini said.
Boddula Srinivas, a close aide of Congress MLA Komatireddy Venkata Reddy, and husband of Nalgonda municipality Chairperson Boddula Lakshmi, was killed earlier this year.
Ms Amrutha Varshini alleged that a case had been registered in the police station at Kethepalli against Pranay’s father. “No names were written in the complaint copy. They booked a money missing case. Since my father-in-law is an LIC employee the complaint was taken back. Yet they called him to the police station and threatened him,” Ms Varshini added.
She said her father Maruthi Rao did not have contacts with Bihar gangs as was being speculated locally. “He is powerful only at the local level. MLA Vemula Veeresham might have finalised the deal because he has a lot of contacts with North Indian gangs,” Ms Varshini alleged.
Speaking to this newspaper A.V Ranganath, Superintendent of police, Nalgonda said, “So far we didn’t get any evidence showing the involvement of Vemula Veeresham. To my knowledge, it was only a personal enmity. However, I am not giving any clean-chit to anyone. The case is under progress. Within a day or two, we will release the details to press.”
The accused is reportedly in police custody.