Updated November 4th, 2019 at 22:20 IST
Woman tehsildar burnt alive in her office at Hyderabad's outskirts
A woman tehsildar (block revenue officer) was burnt alive in her office by a visitor on the outskirts of Hyderabad, sending shockwaves across the state.
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A woman tehsildar (block revenue officer) was burnt alive in her office by a visitor on the outskirts of Hyderabad, sending shockwaves across the state of Telangana due to the barbaric nature of the crime. The incident took place on Monday afternoon at Abdullapurmet in Rangareddy district which is about 40km away from Hyderabad. According to Rachakonda police commissioner Mahesh Muralidhar Bhagwat, a man entered the chambers of Vijaya Reddy at around 1 pm, poured petrol on her and set her on fire.
A video, which was captured moments after the incident, shows Vijaya engulfed in flames outside her chamber. In the video, she was seen crying for help and later collapsed on the ground. Office staff, who were unable to come to terms with the tragedy, tried to douse the fire with a carpet. But the effort went in vain as the body of Vijaya Reddy was badly burnt and was lying outside her chamber before the police arrived on the scene.
Assailant identified as a young farmer
The assailant has been identified as a young farmer named Kurra Suresh of Gowrelli village in Hayatnagar Mandal. The accused told the police that he was frustrated because of a legal dispute with his own brother over a seven-acre-land in Hyderabad. The case has been pending in the Telangana High Court for a long time. Suresh was miffed that the tehsildar Vijaya Reddy did not process his land documents. On Monday afternoon, he entered Reddy’s chamber along with a petrol bottle. Minutes after he entered the office, Vijaya ran out of the chambers in flames. During the incident, the accused too suffered 60 percent burn injuries and is now being treated at a private hospital.
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After inspecting the scene of the crime, Mahesh Bhagawat said, "This is the first time such a ghastly attack has taken place in the premises. We have taken it seriously. We will complete the probe in a fast track court and ensure that the accused gets capital punishment for this murder."
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KT Rama Rao condemns the incident
Meanwhile, irate revenue employees staged a protest outside the tehsildar's office demanding justice. Revenue Employees Association leader Ravinder condemned the incident and questioned what sort of protection the government servants would get in the wake of such incidents. Telangana Minister for IT and Industries, KT Rama Rao took to Twitter to condemn the incident.
I am shocked beyond words about the Abdullapurmet MRO Smt. Vijaya’s brutal murder. No matter what the unresolved issue was, this sort of inhuman attack is reprehensible and has no place in a democracy. My heartfelt condolences to the family of Smt. Vijaya Reddy Garu🙏
— KTR (@KTRTRS) November 4, 2019
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Vijaya Reddy is survived by her husband and two kids. Her husband is a lecturer. She took charge as the first tehsildar of Abdullapurmet after it was declared a block two years ago. Her last rites will be conducted at her village in Kalavalapalli village in Munugode Mandal in Nalgonda.
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Published November 4th, 2019 at 21:46 IST
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