Bhupalpally, Telangana was shaken on Wednesday night as Nagavelli Rajalingamurthy, a whistleblower who had alleged corruption in the Lakshmi (Medigadda) Barrage construction, was brutally murdered by unidentified assailants. Nagavelli Rajalingamurthy, a resident of Bhupalpally, Telangana and husband of former councillor Sarala from the 15th ward, was attacked with sickles and knives while traveling through Reddy Colony. Despite attempting to flee, he was struck on the head, collapsed in a pool of blood, and died on the spot.
Nagavelli Rajalingamurthy had gained attention in October 2023 when he filed a case at the Bhupalpally police station, seeking the registration of an FIR against former Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), former Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao, and others coming from the BRS party, alleging large-scale corruption in the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS). The complaint was based on the sinking of the piers of the Medigadda Barrage and an investigation by the National Dam Safety Authority, which he claimed exposed financial misappropriation.
When the police refused to register the FIR, Nagavelli Rajalingamurthy approached the local magistrate court, which dismissed his plea. He then escalated the matter to the Principal Sessions Court, Bhupalpally, which issued notices to KCR, Harish Rao, and others. However, the Telangana High Court later stayed the case, halting further proceedings.
Nagavelli Rajalingamurthy had recently joined the Congress party before the Assembly elections, and his murder has sparked suspicions about the motives behind the attack. It is speculated by some that there might be role of BRS party members in the murder of Nagavelli Rajalingamurthy given the allegations of corruption he pointed out against ormer Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR). However, Bhupalpally DSP A. Sampath Rao suggested that Nagavelli Rajalingamurthy was involved in several land disputes, and local enmities were also being investigated. Police teams have been deployed to identify the killers, and the body has been sent to Bhupalpally Government Hospital for postmortem.