Maoists kill TRS man at home in Mulugu

HYDERABAD: A Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) party activist was killed by Maoists in Mulugu district barely days after a high-level security meeting was conducted by the Union home ministry in the same district to finalise strategies to counter CPI (Maoists).
Mulugu police said that Maduri Bheemeshwara Rao (55) was repeatedly stabbed in his home at Alubaka village by six armed Maoists who accused him of being a police informer.
“I was dragged away when I rushed to protect my husband. Five people came inside the house, while one person was waiting outside. After killing my husband, they fled,’’ Rao’s wife Kumari told reporters, adding that two Maoists were armed with guns while others had knives on them.
Police said Rao, who also owns a fertilizers business, was killed by Maoists, as he refused to give them funds.
“Maoists asked him for party funds, but he stopped giving money. This murder could also be a retaliation for Maoists who died in a police encounter some days ago in the state. They want to create fear among tribals,’’ a district cop probing the case said.
Mulugu SP Sangram Singh Patil Ganapatrao said that the six men might be from the Maoist action team and the victim was killed after being branded as a police informer.
In a two-page letter released after the killing, the Maoists warned the local TRS and BJP leaders to quit. In the letter they accused Rao of selling fertilizers at higher cost than the MRP, harassing locals by using his political clout and contacts with police and collecting higher interest rates on loans.
The Maoists also warned local leaders and others who work against the interest of tribals of similar consequences.
Vijay Kumar, internal security advisor (MHA), was present at Mulugu district just a few days ago to discuss plans ahead of a crackdown against the CPI (Maoists).