Killings leave villagers shocked

By A. Saye Sekhar

GUNTUR, MARCH 11. Veldurthy, a dusty and sleepy village, tucked on the fringes of Nallamala forest between Macherla and Yerragondapalem shivered at once with the killing of seven people belonging to the village. Though the village, over the years, got used to factional violence, it never experienced shock of such a ghastly incident.

The fight for supremacy in village politics among relatives within a family culminated in Saturday's bloodshed. But for the family feud, there is no politics involved in the Veldurthy factional war. It was quite incidental that both groups took shelter in opposite political parties in the war of attrition.

Joolakanti Nagi Reddy, the late husband of Macherla MLA, Mrs. Durgamba, and Joolakanti Sambi Reddy, who was killed on Saturday, were cousins. Nagi Reddy represented the Macherla Assembly constituency twice - once as an independent and once on behalf of the Congress. Sambi Reddy confined himself to mandal politics when Nagi Reddy was riding on the crest of popularity. Eventually, when Nagi Reddy shifted his residence to Hyderabad, the mantle of keeping the supporters together automatically fell on Sambi Reddy. The Congress leader in Macherla constituency, Mr. Pinnelli Lakshma Reddy, is the brother-in-law of Sambi Reddy. The non-availability of Nagi Reddy in Macherla, brought Sambi Reddy and Lakshma Reddy together politically.

This obviously became an eyesore for the Nagi Reddy group owing to political differences between Joolakanti and Pinnelli families. Despite the differences, both families continued in the Congress till 1994. During the 1994 Assembly elections, the Congress(I) chose Pinnelli Sundararami Reddy, younger brother of Lakshma Reddy, as its nominee, denying ticket to Nagi Reddy. This resulted in the Nagi Reddy group drifting towards the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and throwing its weight behind the party candidate, Mr. Kurri Punna Reddy. This helped Punna Reddy win the election. Subsequently, Nagi Reddy died of illness and Sundararami Reddy was killed by PWG naxalites. Thereafter, Nagi Reddy's son, Mr. Joolakanti Brahma Reddy, began providing `necessary leadership' to the group orphaned by his father.

The silence of Sambi Reddy in the 1994 Assembly elections triggered squabbles among the Joolakanti family. Against this background, one Pallapolu Siva Reddy, staunch follower of Sambi Reddy, was attacked and killed by the Brahma Reddy group, in Veldurthy village in 1998. This killing sent shockwaves among the Sambi Reddy group, as Siva Reddy was killed when he was talking to Sambi Reddy on the village main road.

Another person belonging to the Sambi Reddy group died under suspicious circumstances by consuming pesticide. The Sambi Reddy group firmly believed that pesticide was forcibly administered on their associate. Perturbed over the growing vindictiveness, Sambi Reddy shifted his residence to Macherla for safety.

Amidst attempts to wreak vengeance against each other, the groups had to gird up their loins for the 1999 Assembly elections. The Congress fielded Mr. Lakshma Reddy, while the TDP pitted Mrs. Durgamba, mother of Brahma Reddy, against the Congress candidate. This time, Sambi Reddy openly threw his weight in vain behind his brother-in-law, Mr. Lakshma Reddy. Mrs. Durgamba won the election comfortably. Unable to stomach the victory of the rival, the Sambi Reddy group attacked one Joolakanti Hanimi Reddy, poll manager of Mrs. Durgamba, and hacked him to death in Macherla town in broad daylight soon after the elections.

Angered by this, the Brahma Reddy group damaged some houses, farms and borewells belonging to the Sambi Reddy group in Veldurthy. The police promptly registered a case and arrested 23 accused. Since Hanimi Reddy was killed, the Brahma Reddy group apparently assumed an aggressive posture.

The police raided the hide-out (`papaya garden') of Sambi Reddy group and confiscated 388 bombs and registered a case against all of them. Subsequently, two persons - N. Srinivasa Reddy and K. Ramana Reddy - of the Sambi Reddy group died in a freak mishap at Kandlakunta village as the bombs, which they were drying in an open yard, suddenly went off. Four others, including Sambi Reddy, were injured. Later, the Sambi Reddy group damaged eight borewells and pumpsets in farms belonging to the Brahma Reddy group.

Meanwhile, the court granted a conditional bail to Sambi Reddy and his associates to append signatures in Durgi police station on every Saturday. But, March 10, the fifth Saturday in the series, turned out to be `dooms day' for them.

The conspirators apparently planned the attack to its last detail. There couldn't have been a better location on the Durgi- Macherla Road to organise the ambush. The victims slowed down the jeep to negotiate the gradient on the road, only to walk into the death trap. A lorry, parked aside, rolled down and hit the jeep from the opposite direction. It is subsequently detected that the assailants hurled a few bombs on the jeep before they went on the hacking spree.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Southern States
Previous : Minister promises protection to genuine
           householders
Next     : CM promises thrust to quality education