Hyderabad: Senior Congress leader and Nalgonda municipal chairperson Boddu Lakshmi’s husband Boddupally Srinivas was bludgeoned to death by unidentified persons in Nalgonda town on Wednesday night. His body was found in a canal near his house.
Srinivas, 42, had reached home after attending a programme along with Congress MLA Komatreddy Venkat Reddy and went out after one of his associates, Gopi, rang him up saying he was being assaulted by a group of drunks.
When Srinivas reached the spot, the caller was nowhere there and he was attacked by a few others there. His followers who had recently defected from the party were suspected to be involved in the murder.
Meanwhile, police picked up seven persons, including Gopi, for questioning, but they were yet to be arrested. Those summoned were Mandra Mallesh, who was said to be the kingpin, his brother Mahesh, Cha-kri, Rambabu, Durg-aiah, Sharath and Gopi.
Srinivas leaves beh-ind his wife and two kids. Ms Lakshmi claimed her husband was murdered as he refused to defect from the Congress to the ruling TRS.
Srinivas, a very close associate of MLA Komatreddy Venkat Reddy, participated in a few programmes on Wednesday along with him. He returned home after the last programme at Thipparthi.
A few minutes after he reached home, he received a call around 11.45 pm from Gopi, son of ward councillor Merugu Kausalya. Gopi said that a few drunks were troubling and abusing him and sought help. As Gopi was close to Srinivas, he rushed to the spot nearby on his bike, instead of taking a car.
But when he reached the spot, he could not find Gopi, but there were others heavily drunk. He tried to pacify them. But the gang in a fit of rage was said to have attacked him with boulders. He died on the spot and dumped his body in the canal.
Meanwhile, when Lakshmi called her husband, somebody else answered the call, but did not speak properly. A worried Ms Lakshmi rushed to the police station. Police went to the spot and found Srinivas lying dead in a pool of blood in the canal.
Lakshmi demanded a fair inquiry and immediate arrest of persons involved in the murder. Nalgonda superintendent of police D.V. Srinivas Rao said investigations were on.
Cops ignored pleas for protection
Venkatreddy, MLA, alleged that Boddupally Srinivas’ murder was planned by a minister and a TRS MLA belonging to Nalgonda district and the police had ignored repeated requ-ests for protection. He also blamed Nalgonda DSP Sudhakar for working against the opposition parties to frame them if they did not join the TRS.
“If the call data records of the suspects for the past six months are analysed, the role of the MLA and the minister will come out. We will fight till all of them are arrested,” said Mr Venkatreddy.
As the MLA staged a dharna at the Clock Tower demanding imm-ediate action, the town observed a bandh.
Meanwhile, DSP Sudhakar denied the allegations, stating that they were politically motivated as cases were filed against the MLA and his followers for creating trouble during Minister Harish Rao’s visit recently. Nalgonda SP Mr D.V. Srinivas Rao said that the allegations will be probed.
Mr Venkatreddy said that even before the slain gangster was killed in an encounter, Srinivas had been getting threat calls.
The MLA had been constantly threatening him to switch the party. Srinivas met the TRS MLA on December 27, 2015, where the MLA threatened to kill him.
