Congress leader from Alur in Kurnool district murdered in Guntakal

The mangled vehicle of Congress leader Chippagiri Lakshminarayana on the outskirts of Guntakal on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: ARRANGMENT

A Congress leader from Alur in Kurnool district was murdered by unknown assailants in Guntakal of Anantapur district on Sunday. The assailants hit the car in which he was travelling with a tipper and hacked him to death with hunting sickles.

According to the police, the deceased Chippagiri Lakshminarayana (58) hailed from Aluru in Kurnool and frequently visits Guntakal on work. On Sunday, Lakshnminarayana was returning to Chippagiri from Guntakal in his car. As the vehicle reached Aluru bridge after crossing Guntakal, unknown assailants hit his vehicle with a tipper bringing it to a halt. The assailants then attacked Lakshminarayana with hunting sickles leading to his instant death.

Though Lakshminarayana’s son Vinod and two others were also there in the vehicle, the assailants left them unharmed. Police said atleast four persons were involved in the killing.

A case has been registered and investigation is on.

Sharmila condemns murder

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Y. S. Sharmila on Sunday (April 27) expressed shock and profound grief over the murder of the party’s in-charge for Alur constituency Chippagiri Lakshminarayana. “The fact that he was rammed by a lorry and then hacked to death with sickles clearly reflects the horrifying state of law and order in the State,” she posted on X and demanded a high-level probe by the Police Department and stringent punishment to the culprits. “I extend my deepest condolences to the family members of Mr. Lakshminarayana,” she said adding that the Congress party will stand firmly with the bereaved family members and support them in every possible way.

APCC vice-president Kolanukonda Shivaji, in a statement, said the deceased had reportedly approached the police officials multiple times apprehending threat to his life and had requested gunmen for protection, but his pleas went unheeded.

He said preliminary information suggested that the supporters of the TDP alliance were behind this heinous murder and demanded a fair and impartial investigation.