Guntur: A 50-year-old Dalit leader was waylaid and hacked to death by unidentified assailants on Friday in Andhra Pradesh Guntur district.
The leader from YSRCP Pamidipati Kotaiah was reportedly killed on his way back after meeting the Women’s Commission Chairperson, TNM reports.
A resident of Amritaluru, Tenali, Kotaiah was also Tenali district president, Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi (MRPS), a Dalit political organization.
A speeding car first hit them at Chebrolu and later two unidentified assailants jumped out of the car and attacked him.
The incident took place at around 7.45 pm. Kotaiah suffered critical injuries on his neck and lungs in the attack and succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.
The police suspect land dispute behind the murder. Kotaiah’s body was sent to the Guntur Government Hospital for autopsy.
A case has been registered under 302 IPC with the Chebrolu police station.
Chebrolu SI Ch Kishore said, “We suspect that his former aides must have committed the murder. We suspect Kothapalli Nagaraju and Sudhapalli Nagaraju- both his former aides -to have killed him over some land settlement.
Kotaiah’s Facebook reveals that these people had differences and they were challenging to eliminate each other online. The case is still under investigation.”
Since the deceased was involved in many land settlements including other cases, the police ruled out political rivalry in the murder.
The SI added, “The suspects also belong to the same Madiga community. We suspect a land dispute as the reason behind the murder.”