Dalit leader from YSRCP murdered in Andhra, cops suspect former aides

Kotaiah was waylaid and attacked with knives on Friday, and the police suspect that it was over a land settlement.

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A 50-year-old Dalit leader from YSRCP, Pamidipati Kotaiah was waylaid and attacked with knives on Friday in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. Police suspect that Kotaiah’s former aides who are now presently in TDP might have killed him over a land dispute.

According to police, Kotaiah along with another woman were returning from Guntur on his scooter after meeting the Women’s Commission Chairperson, and a speeding car hit them at Chebrolu. After hitting the scooter, two unidentified persons from the car attacked Kotaiah with knives and fled from the spot. The incident took place at around 7.45 pm.

In the attack, Kotaiah suffered critical injuries to his neck and lungs, police said. Kotaiah was subsequently rushed to a local hospital. However, he succumbed to the injuries. Following the incident, police visited the spot and shifted Kotaiah’s body to the Guntur Government Hospital for autopsy.

A case under 302 IPC was registered in Chebrolu police station.

Speaking to TNM, 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.”

Ruling out, the possibility of a political-rivalry, the SI said, "The suspects also belong to the same Madiga community. We suspect a land dispute as the reason behind the murder."

Police said that Kotaiah was involved in many land settlements, and there were a couple of cases against him, including abetment to murder.

Kotaiah was a resident of Amritaluru, Tenali. He was earlier the Tenali district president, Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi (MRPS), a Dalit political organisation. Following the state’s bifurcation, he formed his own organisation in Tenali called Navyandhra Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi, police said.