Murder of ex-sarpanch sparks tension

Mahbubnagar: Tension prevailed for some time at Chennipadu village under Manavapadu mandal in the district following the murder of former sarpanch Kumaraih (60) on Tuesday. A group of assailants attacked Kumaraiah and hacked him to death.

The villagers, enraged over the murder, chased the assailants and caught one of them. They thrashed the alleged culprit. When the police arrived and took the accused into custody, the villagers smashed the windshields of the police jeep.

The police took to heels fearing for their lives. The villagers later set fire to the house of one of the suspects. Previous enmity is said to have led to the murder of the former sarpanch.