Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has finally broken his silence on the
gruesome murders of two lawyers, Gattu Vaman Rao and his wife P V Nagamani, that took place in Peddapalli last month.
Addressing the incident, which had sparked protests within the lawyer community in the state, in the Telangana Assembly during today's Budget session, the CM said that the state government had taken serious action against those involved in the attack irrespective of their party affiliations.
Condemning the murders, KCR said that such an incident was deplorable and should not have taken place. Then, he once again reassured the house that the TRS regime would take stern action against everyone involved in the attack. To make evident his government's commitment to punishing the guilty, he even listed the names of the
TRS activists who had been taken into custody for their alleged participation in the gruesome killings, and added that the latter had already been suspended from the party.
"There is no room for such incidents in our state. The police have also become more alert now to prevent similar attacks in the future. They have been working hard to solve the case in an impartial manner as well, as we wish to help the victims' families get justice at the earliest. Our government will not tolerate this sort of brutality," he maintained.
The CM's clarifications assume significance since he has been censured by various members of the Opposition for his silence on the killings. TPCC head and MP N Uttam Kumar Reddy is one of the leaders who has
lashed out at the former's "conspicuous silence" several times.
In a media statement last month, Reddy had said, "The CM did not issue a single statement condemning the attack, and with this omission, he has sent a dangerous message to the criminals and anti-social elements of the state - that they can carry on doing whatever and killing whoever. KCR's conspicuous silence on the matter will also encourage the sand, property and mines mafias to establish their control in Telangana using murder as a tool with which to instil fear among the people of the state."