Congress leader set ablaze by rowdy sheeter in Warangal dies

A Congress leader from Warangal, Adupa Mahesh, died on Sunday after being set ablaze by a rowdy-sheeter the previous night. Mahesh, who suffered over 50 per cent burns, accused his party colleagues of betrayal and appealed for support to his family before succumbing to injuries while being shifted to Hyderabad for treatment.

Warangal: A Congress leader who was allegedly set ablaze by a rowdy sheeter in Warangal on Saturday night died on Sunday.

According to sources, the deceased, Adupa Mahesh (42) of NTR Nagar Colony, who had earlier served as the Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation’s 14th division Congress president in the past, arrived at the colony with burn injuries at around 11.30 pm.

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Some locals who spotted him started filming him and asked for details. He stated that one Jannu Madhu of NTR Nagar had summoned him on Saturday night to a secluded spot near the local Kotilingala temple, where they consumed alcohol.

Later, the rowdy-sheeter, Pathri Kumar, who was also present there, reportedly accused Mahesh of complaining against him to Wardhannapet MLA KR Nagaraj. Before Mahesh could answer, Kumar snatched his phone away, doused him with petrol and set him on fire.

Mahesh told the locals that he would not survive as he suffered severe burns in the petrol attack and lamented that his own party people had deceived him. He appealed to the Congress party and the State government to support his family, noting that he had worked hard for the Congress party for 26 years.

He further asked the MLA and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to intervene in the case; identify those who supported Kumar and ensure severe punishment to him. He said he worked hard for the Congress party to come to power but the government and police have let a rowdy sheeter accused in a murder case to move freely in the society.

The locals later shifted him to MGM Hospital for treatment. He died at Jangaon on the way to NIMS Hospital in Hyderabad on Sunday afternoon for advanced medical treatment as his condition turned critical due to over 50 percent burns he suffered in the petrol attack.

The accused Kumar was said to have been sentenced to life imprisonment in a murder case and was recently released on bail.