Youth stabbed to death in Telangana in post-local body poll

A man, claimed to be a BJP activist, was allegedly stabbed to death in Mahabubnagar district in stray post local rural body election violence in Telangana, police said Wednesday. Premkumar, a youth, was fatally attacked in Dokur village after a quarrel with the son of a losing TRS candidate and others over him joining the celebrations by supporters of the victorious BJP rival Tuesday night, hours after the results of the poll were declared, they said.

TRS has swept the local body polls, winning a majority of the Zilla Parishad territorial constituency and Mandal Parishad territorial constituency seats. BJP Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar Wednesday claimed the deceased youth was his party activist and charged the ruling TRS with indulging in "murder politics" out of 'fear' of the saffron party's rise as an alternative in the state.

However, police said the victim was not a political activist, adding they have detained some persons in connection with the incident. State minister S Niranjan Reddy said the incident was totally unfortunate and it should not have happened even as he indicated there was no political angle to it.

"The incident is 100 per cent unfortunate, It should not have happened. BJP and TRS are not connected or related to it," he told PTI when contacted. Condemning the incident, he said it should be confined to individuals.

Sanjay Kumar in a statement alleged TRS had "initiated politics" on the lines of West Bengal and Kerala Chief Ministers Mamata Banerjee and Pinarayi Vijayan, an apparent reference to allegations of political violence in the two states targeting the BJP. He demanded a thorough inquiry into the killing of the youth and strong punishment to the perpetrators.

In another post-poll related but freak incident at Ramchandrapur near Mahabugnagar, a woman died after being pushed down by a 'drunk' man in a village Tuesday night. According to police, the incident occurred when a group of women was trying to stop the man from proceeding on his two-wheeler after hearing about an altercation between two rival groups of a political party in the village.

Even as the women were trying to dissuade him saying the village elders have already intervened to ensure peace and police too were present, he allegedly pushed one of them. The woman fell down, lost her consciousness and declared dead later, police said.

The man, not affiliated to any political party, was arrested Tuesday night and a case registered against him, police said...

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