BRS Dubbak candidate and MP Kotha Prabhakar Reddy stabbed during election campaign

MP Kotha Prabhakar Reddy, who was nominated by Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao as the Dubbak candidate in the first BRS list, suffered a three-inch deep wound on his abdomen in the attack

Siddipet: In an incident that will continue to resonate throughout the run-up to the November 30 Assembly elections, Medak MP and BRS Dubbak Assembly constituency candidate Kotha Prabhakar Reddy was stabbed by a man, allegedly associated with the Congress, while the MP was campaigning at Surampally in Doulathabad mandal on Monday.

The MP, who was nominated by Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao as the Dubbak candidate in the first BRS list, suffered a three-inch deep wound on his abdomen in the attack. Security personnel and party cadre swiftly shifted Prabhakar Reddy into his personal vehicle, as he clutched his bleeding stomach with a cloth. He was first rushed to the Government Hospital in Gajwel, and later shifted to Yashoda Hospital in Secunderabad, where he underwent a surgery.

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Meanwhile, the assailant, identified as Ghatani Raju, 38, of Chepyala village of Mirudoddi mandal, was nabbed and thrashed black and blue by BRS cadre, who were accompanying the MP, after which he was handed over to the police.

Addressing a press conference at Siddipet later in the day, Commissioner of Police N Swetha said the police had had registered a case under IPC Section 307 (attempt to murder) and other sections against Raju. Stating that it was too early to confirm Raju’s political affiliations, the Commissioner said she had seen photographs of Raju wearing scarfs of different political parties. The police were probing into this and also into what provoked the attack on the MP.

Raju was currently undergoing treatment for his injuries after the thrashing from the crowd in a hospital under police custody, she said, adding that once more details were available from the ongoing investigation, the public would be informed. Requesting the public not to share misleading posts on social media, the Commissioner assured a transparent investigation into the incident. The situation in the constituency was totally under control, she added.