The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Report of attempt on MLA's life `baseless'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 16, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Report of attempt on MLA's life `baseless'

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, JULY 15. The Home Minister, K. Jana Reddy, has called "baseless and unfounded" the news report which appeared in a Telugu daily alleging that an attempt was made on the life of E. Dayakara Rao, Telugu Desam MLA, by his political rivals employing Aziz Reddy, who was arrested recently, for the purpose.

The Minister made a suo motu statement in the Assembly on Thursday, saying that Aziz Reddy and his followers were arrested and remanded recently. During the investigation, none of the arrested stated that they had entered into a "contract" with the political foes of Mr Rao to kill him.

The Minister gave the official version of the Proddatur incident in which four persons were hacked to death yesterday. According to this statement, the RTC bus was proceeding to Cuddapah from Proddatur when Pandillapalli Muni Reddy and eight others boarded it and attacked six persons inside with hunting sickles, killing four of them on the spot. But for the intervention of the bus crew, the other two too would have met with the same fate.

He said the motive behind the attack was "retaliation" to killing of two persons two years ago. The case was pending before the court at Proddatur. Muni Reddy and others attended the court and were proceeding to Cuddapah to consult lawyers. Police rushed to the spot and admitted the two injured in Kurnool General Hospital. Their condition was stated to be "stable".

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Andhra Pradesh