india

Updated: Jul 12, 2019 22:13 IST

An elected public representative belonging to the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi was beaten to death by extremists belonging to CPI (Maoist) in the forests of Kishtaram on the Chhattisgarh-Telangana borders on Friday.

According to Bhadradri Kothagudem district superintendent of police Sunil Dutt, Nalluri Srinivasa Rao, a Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency (MPTC) member representing Peda Midisileru village of Charla mandal parishad, was kidnapped from his house in Besta Kothuru hamlet on July 8.

“His body was found with his head smashed in the forest area between Thette Madugu and Puttapadu hamlets. The Maoists left a letter along with the body of Rao,” the SP said.

In the letter, the Maoists alleged that Srinivasa Rao had colluded with the police and was acting as an informer for them. He was instigating the local Adivasis against the Maoists with the help of the police and was collecting information about the movements of our dalams (squads) and passing it on to the police. “So he became responsible for the arrest of many people’s activists,” Maoist Party Cherla–Sabari area committee secretary, Sarada, said in the letter.

The Maoists also charged Srinivasa Rao with grabbing 70 acres land belonging to the Adivasis and implicating the victims in cases for questioning him. “We have eliminated him as he had become an obstacle to the Maoist Party that is working for the Adivasi people,” Sarada said.

The SP, however, denied the allegations of the Maoists against Rao. Describing his killing as a heinous act, he said the TRS leader was just a farmer and he had nothing to do with the police.

“The Maoists are targeting the ruling party leaders only to prove their identity. In fact, they have been terrorising local farmers and merchants and fleecing them for funds,” Sunil Dutt said.