BRS worker killed in Congress mob attack ahead of panchayat poll

A BRS activist, Uppula Mallaiah, was killed and 15 others injured in Lingampalli, Nutankal, in a clash with Congress workers hours before Suryapet gram panchayat polls. BRS leaders demand strict action, citing a return of political violence and police lapses

Suryapet: Tension gripped Lingampalli village in Nutankal mandal on Wednesday after a violent clash between Congress and BRS supporters left a BRS activist dead and several others injured, just hours before polling commenced for the first phase of gram panchayat elections. The victim was identified as Uppula Mallaiah, father-in-law of a BRS ward member candidate.

Following the incident, police forces were deployed in large numbers to prevent any untoward incidents.

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According to the police and locals, a scuffle between the two groups escalated into a brutal attack when nearly 70 Congress workers assaulted BRS activists with sticks and stones. A senior BRS worker, Mallaiah (56), who was campaigning for his daughter-in-law contesting as a ward member, sustained critical head and body injuries. He died while being shifted to Hyderabad in an ambulance.

A family member of the victim alleged that the attackers were drunk and armed with knives. “They chased my brother and hacked him. He was killed while campaigning for the BRS,” he said. BRS mandal president Munna Mallaiah Yadav and at least 15 other workers were injured where the condition of three persons was stated to be critical and were shifted to Hyderabad. BRS leaders accused the Congress cadres of launching the attack out of fear of losing the sarpanch election.

The police have registered a case and have detained several accused, while a special force under DSP Prasanna Kumar was deployed to prevent further clashes.

The attack has reignited tensions in Lingampalli, a village already on the police radar after a former sarpanch was murdered last year. BRS workers said despite advance alerts, the police had turned a blind eye to repeated complaints about potential trouble. They also flagged negligence on part of the State Election Commission authorities, stating that the killing raised serious concerns about the security preparedness for the polls.

Former Minister and senior BRS MLA T Harish Rao condemned the killing of Mallaiah. Calling it a tragic outcome of Congress-sponsored violence during the panchayat polls, he said the attack by the Congress cadre exposed the undemocratic and anarchic rule under the party. He demanded strict action against all those responsible.

BRS leaders, including former Minister and Suryapet MLA G Jagadish Reddy, former MP Badugula Lingaiah Yadav and former MLA Gadari Kishore, visited the Suryapet district hospital to pay respects to Mallaiah’s body and consoled his family. Calling the attack as Congress-mark murder politics, they demanded immediate arrests and strict accountability.

Jagadish Reddy charged the Congress with reviving a culture of political killings in the district. “After 12 years, political killings have begun again. The police are behaving like Congress workers under Ministerial pressure,” he said, adding that attempts were being made to intimidate BRS candidates and obstruct nominations.

With polling scheduled in Suryapet, Atmakur, Nutankal, Maddirala, Tungathurthi, Arvapalli, Nagaram and Tirumalagiri, district police have intensified patrolling and stationed additional forces in all sensitive villages. Officials said measures were being taken to ensure peaceful voting, even as the murder continues to cast a shadow over the election atmosphere.