Post local body poll killing: TRS candidate son among 6 held

: Six people, including the son of a losing TRS candidate, were Thursday arrested in connection with the killing of a 22-year-old man, claimed to be a BJP activist, in the aftermath of the local rural body election in Telangana, police said.

Condemning the killing, BJP Telangana state president K Laxman Thursday alleged that TRS was resorting to 'murder politics' unable to digest BJPs growth in the state.

Prem Kumar was fatally attacked in Dokur village after a quarrel with the son of a losing TRS candidate and others over him joining the celebrations by supporters of the victorious BJP rival Tuesday night, hours after the results of the poll were declared, police had said.

A case was registered and during course of investigation, police arrested P Srikanth Reddy, son of a TRS candidate who lost MPTC poll to a BJP candidate, along with five others, an investigating official told PTI over phone.

The official said Srikanth had a criminal record and had a personal grudge against Prem Kumar over some issues including for objecting to pasting of posters, during election campaigning, on his house wall and had hatched a plan to eliminate him, police said.

On the night of June 4, Srikanth along with his associates allegedly stabbed Prem Kumar resulting in his death, they said.

TRS has swept the local body polls, winning a majority of the zilla parishad territorial constituency and mandal parishad territorial constituency seats.

BJP Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar Wednesday claimed the deceased youth was his party activist and charged the ruling TRS with induling in "murder politics" out of 'fear' of the saffron party's rise as an alternative in the state.

However, police said the victim was not a political activist, adding they have detained some persons in connection with the incident.

According to a release from Telangana BJP, Laxman also visited Varalakshmi, Mahadevunipet BJP MPTC candidate, who was attacked allegedly by "those associated" with TRS and is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Mahabubnagar.

Condemning the attack on BJP workers, Laxman claimed Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, under pressure from the TRS leaders, "who are in utter despair, is encouraging attacks on BJP workers".

TRS has started murder-politics in the state and KCR (as Rao is also referred to) is turning the state into another West Bengal...," the release quoted Laxman as saying.

According to the senior BJP leader due to recent reversals in recent Lok Sabha elections, insecurity has increased in KCR and this has led to attacks by TRS henchmen on BJP workers in the state.

Laxman said that with misuse of power and by luring, the Chief Minister is trying to eliminate opposition voice in the state by hook or by crook.

Laxman said that BJP is a party with strong ideologies and principles, and party workers are always ready to sacrifice themselves for the party ideologies, and their sacrifices would not go waste.

In the coming days, BJPs saffron flag would fly high in Telangana, he asserted adding BJP would get the state liberated from the clutches of the Kalvakuntla family" (KCRs family).

Laxman further demanded that stern action be taken against those attacked Premkumar and also demanded that case be booked under attempt to murder against those who attacked Varalakshmi.

He further said BJP national president Amit Shah has expressed his condolences on the death of Prem Kumar.