Congress faces internal rift over tank blasting in Chennur

With two Congress leaders being detained by the police in connection with the incident, and another Congress leader intervening and getting them released, there are tensions within the Congress over the intervention of this leader,

Mancherial: The alleged blasting of a surplus weir of the Shanigakunta irrigation tank on the outskirts of Chennur town has incidentally triggered internal issues in the Congress party in Chennur Assembly constituency. With two Congress leaders being detained by the police in connection with the incident, and another Congress leader intervening and getting them released, there are tensions within the Congress over the intervention of this leader, reportedly with the help of an MLA from another constituency.

Fourteen persons were booked for allegedly blasting the weir of the tank on September 16. The accused persons were Pendyala Laxminarayana, husband of 11th ward councilor Swarnalatha, his friends Bheem Madhukar, a driver, Rasamalla Srinivas, a daily wage earner, all from different parts of Chennur, and Gogula Danaiah, a stonecutter from ACC Colony in Mancherial on September 20. The remaining accused persons were apprehended on October 3 and October 4.

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During the course of investigations, Laxminarayana confessed to committing the crime to avoid inundation of certain houses caused by backwaters of the irrigation tank, by taking help from the three. He admitted blowing up the weir using gelatin sticks sourced from contacts of Danaiah in Nalgonda. Srinivas, Madhukar and Danaiah drilled holes to the weir and plotted the explosives in order to blast the structure.

Investigations by police revealed that Nadipelli Laxman Rao, Lakkam Bapu Rao, Ramlal Gilda, Battula Sammaiah, Peddinti Srinivas, Pogula Shekhar, Ennam Banaiah,Ippa Sampath, Umesh Gilda formed a group and purchased 15.20 acres of land abutting to the tank. They entered into an agreement with one Godishela Bapu Reddy to sell the property to him. But, only 4 acres of the land was transferred to Bapu Reddy, while the remaining asset was found to be in full tank level.

As part of investigations into the blasting, Bapu Reddy and Peddinti Srinivas, both Congress leaders were detained by the Chennur police station. However, they were released immediately after a local leader reportedly exerted pressure on the police. Around 300 activists of the party also arrived at the police station demanding release of Bapu Reddy and Srinivas.

It is learnt that the local leader managed to prevent a case against Bapu Reddy and Srinivas and from being arrested by approaching a legislator outside Chennur segment, drawing the ire of local MLA Dr G Vivek. The leader and his followers now reportedly not allowed to attend events of Vivek in Chennur town for taking help of the other legislator.