JOIN USTRS govt, state police face Oppn's heat over lawyer couple's murder
The Opposition Congress and BJP have blamed the TRS, K Chandrashekar Rao government and the state police department for the brutal murder of a lawyer couple in broad daylight in Telangana on Wednesday.
A Mandal-level leader of the ruling party -- Kunta Srinivas -- said to be close to the higher up leaders, is among the prime accused in the case of the murder of G Vaman Rao and PV Nagamani.
On Wednesday afternoon, the offenders intercepted the car in which Rao and his wife were travelling on a highway in Peddapalli district towards Hyderabad, after attending some court work in Manthani. Rao was pulled out of the car and stabbed several times in full public view.
Both were practising advocates in the Telangana High Court and succumbed to the savage attack, after being rushed to a hospital. In his final moments, Rao had reportedly mentioned the name of Kunta Srinivas, President of the TRS's Manthani unit. Police said they have arrested Srinivas, the main accused, and two others on Thursday.
The victims and the accused are from the same area and have some long-standing disputes, including a temple land-related issue, between them. The advocate couple is known for cases challenging the alleged misdeeds of politicians, and also had petitioned against the actions of some officials and police officers in the past.
According to the family, the couple had, in September, moved the HC complaining that they were being harassed, threatened by the police after they moved a PIL in the court regarding a custodial death in the Manthani police station. Telangana Congress leader Uttam Kumar Reddy described the advocate couple's murder “as TRS's biggest attack on the legal fraternity, system.”
Uttam Kumar also accused some police officers of functioning in favour of the TRS. “Culprits should be punished and those officers whose negligence allowed the murder should be suspended within 24 hours. We demand a CBI probe into the whole episode,” he said.
On Thursday, Telangana BJP's women wing attempted to lay siege to the DGP office in Hyderabad, condemning the murders and “police laxity.”
“The victims were selflessly filing PILs in the judicial platforms against perceived injustices. They filed cases against the land-sand mafia in the region and incurred their wrath. They had also filed a case against the local police for an alleged custodial death,” Telangana BJP said in a letter to the state DGP Mahender Reddy, demanding the suspension of Ramagundam police commissioner and ACP “to ensure free and fair investigation into the horrendous incident.”
“The couple had sought police protection which was denied to them despite awareness that they face threat perception. Had they been given police protection as sought by them several times, they would not have been killed. The culprits, who explicitly enjoy the patronage of the ruling masters, were aware that the couple had no protection and were, therefore, were able to effect the brutal murder in full public view,” the BJP stated.
Following the opposition onslaught, the TRS has announced the suspension of Kunta from the party. Meanwhile, the HC took suo motu cognizance of the murders and asked the state government to conduct a proper investigation. Posting the matter to March 1, the court issued notices to the Rao's government, asking for submission of a status report on the probe.