A day after the brutal murder of a local Andhra journalist in Tuni in Andhra Pradesh, the East Godavari police have registered an FIR against local YSRC MLA and government chief whip Dadisetti Raja in connection with the case.
K Sathyanarayana, 45, was a reporter with the Telugu newspaper Andhrajyothi and two assailants had carried out the attack near his residence in S Annavaram village in Tuni mandal on Monday. Sathyanarayana is said to have been returning home from work at the time.
The police booked the MLA after a complaint by the deceased journalist's family members, who alleged that the accused were backed by the legislator. A case of murder has been registered against five others, besides Raja.
"Raja had threatened in the presence of other reporters after the completion of counting in Assembly polls in May that he would see the end of Satyanarayana...Several people have made threatening calls to my brother saying that Raja was backing them," Satyanarayana's brother, Gopalakrishna, told the Times of India.
Based on the crime scene and the injury, investigating officers suspect that heavyweight iron rods may have been used in the attack.
District police officials also told TNM earlier that they were also looking into a past complaint filed by the deceased journalist, as he had earlier claimed there was a threat to his life.
Satyanarayana had survived an attack a month ago and it was reported to the police. But they failed to give him protection.
Minister for Information and Public Relations Perni Nani said those involved in the murder would be handed out stringent punishment.
He said Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy directed Director General of Police Gautam Sawang to take immediate steps to track down the culprits.
Jana Sena Party President Pawan Kalyan strongly condemned the ghastly murder and termed this as an attack on journalism.
"It appears the physical attack was carried out with a motive to scare the media," he said.
IANS inputs