TRS' Kunta Srinivas arrested for murder of Telangana HC lawyer, wife; expelled from party

In a major development in the Telangana double murder, main accused TRS leader Kunta Srinivas has been arrested by police at the Maharashtra-Telangana border on Thursday. Srinivas, who has been accused of killing high court advocates - G Vaman Rao and his wife Nagamani, has been expelled from the party. The TRS leader was named by Vaman Rao in his dying declaration after he was stabbed on Wednesday at the outskirts of Hyderabad.

Telangana: Lawyer couple hacked to death; TRS leader's name emerges in incident

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Reacting to the arrest, Telangana Congress chief Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged that the lawyers' murder was 'police sponsored as TRS was involved in illegal activities with the 'silent blessing of KCR'. He added that as the couple was 'fighting illegal activities of TRS', they were killed to silence them. Terming the murder as shameful, he said that it was an attack on the judiciary.

"This act was hacked by TRS party activists. This couple was fighting against the illegal activities of TRS activists. They have filed complaints regarding the threat to their life. What a shame. It's a Police sponsored murder," he said adding, "It's an attack on the judiciary. TRS with the silent blessing of KCR is involved in all illegal activities. Telangana society will react very strongly to the KCR family".

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HC advocates murdered

On Wednesday, a High Court advocate and his wife were brutally hacked to death in Telangana's Peddapalli - at  Kalvacharla highway in broad daylight near Ramagundam of Godavarikhani, about 220 km from Hyderabad. As per the Peddapalli police, prominent HC Advocate Gattu Vaman Rao and his wife P.V. Nagamani were travelling from Manthani to Hyderabad after attending a court case. They were intercepted by unknown persons at around 3 pm who appeared before their vehicle. The assailants brutally stabbed the couple with knives, leaving them bleeding on the highway and fleeing from the spot. 

According to the police, injured advocate Vaman Rao called out TRS leader Kunta Srinavas name before he breathed his last. Reports state that the couple was engaged in a land dispute with Srinivas and Vasanth Rao, an influential local leader from Gunjapadugu village. Reports add that Kunta Srinivas reportedly wanted to build a temple in the village but the couple objected to it alleging it was encroaching on government land. 

The Telangana High Court has sought a detailed report from the government with the state chief justice, Hima Kohli, setting March 1 deadline to wrap up the investigation. While the BJP has sought the suspension of Ramagundam Police Commissioner V Sathyanarayana and ACP, reports state that the victim - Vaman Rao had filed several PILs in High Court on various public issues.

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