N Rajalingamurthy, who accused former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) of corruption in the Kaleshwaram irrigation project, was murdered shortly after allegedly being threatened and offered Rs 10 lakh to withdraw his complaint. His wife, N Sarala, claims associates of former BRS MLA Gandra Venkatramana Reddy, close to KCR’s family, orchestrated the attack due to fears of losing the corruption case. The murder occurred just before a high court hearing regarding the allegations. While the police suggest land disputes as the motive, Congress politicians suspect BRS involvement, heightening political tensions in the region.
Hyderabad:
The family of a man who took legal action against former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) over alleged corruption in the Kaleshwaram irrigation project claimed he was threatened and offered Rs 10 lakh to settle the case just days before he was found murdered on Wednesday.
N Sarala, the wife of N Rajalingamurthy, who was fatally stabbed by unidentified assailants on the outskirts of his village in Jayshankar Bhupalpally district, alleged that followers of former Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA Gandra Venkatramana Reddy—who is closely associated with KCR’s son and party’s working president KT Rama Rao—were responsible for the attack.
“KTR’s follower is Venkatramana Reddy. His follower is Haribabu. He orchestrated this (murder). About 10 days ago, my husband was threatened and offered Rs 10 lakh to withdraw his complaint regarding the corruption case against KCR,” Sarala, a former BRS councillor who switched to the Congress party, stated.
“Mr Reddy had my husband killed in broad daylight because he filed a case concerning Kaleshwaram, fearing they might lose. I want justice. What will happen to my two children?” she added.
Rajalingamurthy’s murder—which occurred a day before a high court hearing regarding the corruption case—has sparked significant political controversy, with the ruling Congress party blaming the BRS. However, police have indicated that the victim may have been targeted due to land disputes.
In October 2023, Rajalingamurthy submitted a private complaint to the court, requesting the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against KCR, who was then serving as Chief Minister, and others after some piers of the Medigadda barrage of the Kaleshwaram project “sank.” He alleged irregularities in the project’s construction.
KCR, along with his nephew and former minister T Harish Rao, subsequently approached the Telangana High Court, which in December last year suspended an order issued by the principal district sessions judge in Jayashankar Bhupalpally that allowed a petition against them.
An inquiry commission set up by the current Congress government to investigate the alleged irregularities is expected to present its report next month.
Mr Reddy, a former BRS MLA from Bhupalpally, rejected the allegations against him. “I neither threatened nor offered Rs 10 lakh to anyone. The case is already in court. This situation will not change, regardless of whether Rajalingamurthy is alive or not. He was embroiled in land disputes; that’s likely why he was targeted,” he stated.
The BRS has also ruled out any involvement by its party leaders in the murder. They noted that neither Sarala’s complaint nor the FIR has implicated KTR or Mr Reddy.
Congress spokesperson Addanki Dayakar, however, alleged BRS’ involvement in the murder. “There is a clear connection. He (the victim) was not just a complainant; he was also set to provide evidence regarding the irregularities in the Kaleshwaram case,” he asserted.