1988 News in India Today About Devineni Murali Murder and Vijayawada gang war

[ParmQ]

Andhra Pradesh: Another ugly turn in Vijayawada gang war

Amarnath K. Menon April 15, 1988 | UPDATED 16:24 IST

Devineni Murali did not know it but he had been under watch for a week. When the gangster headed back for his home town Vijayawada from Nellore, neither he nor his companions took note of the car following their van. Thrice the car overtook' their vehicle, only to fall back, without raising suspicion.

However, as Murali's vehicle approached a desolate - and uneven - patch of road, a truck crashed head-on into the van. Before the seven shocked occupants could react, they were ringed by 20 armed men who had leapt out of the truck. Murali and four others were hacked to death before they could even fully react to the situation - only two of his companions managed to escape. The killers coolly climbed into a getaway truck a few minutes later and vanished.

The killings on March 10, the latest in a chain of retaliatory murders involving two local gangs, set the trading town of Vijayawada, by the river Krishna, on fire. That Murali's brother, Devineni Nehru, is the Telugu Desam legislator from Kankipadu constituency skirting Vijayawada, only lent additional gravity to the situation. Supporters of both Nehru and Murali soon went on the rampage in Vijayawada, forcing shops shut and compelling a bandh on the following day. And when the bodies of the victims were brought in a funeral procession of lorries, the angry mourners ransacked the Congress(I) office, looted a few shops and stoned cinema houses belonging to sympathisers of that party.

Nehru alleged the murders were planned by Vangaveeti Mohan Ranga Rao, the Congress(I) legislator from Vijayawada, who is better known as Ranga - and whose photograph figures among the town's known offenders at several local police stations. But Ranga was at that time convalescing at Delhi's Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital after complaining of breathing trouble.

 

SIainmen with Murdi (centre): gory end

The dead men's supporters suspected that Ranga was only trying to make out an alibi for himself and had deliberately distanced himself from the scene of the crime. Men - many of them drunk - armed with staves and stones proceeded to attack the properties of Congress(I) sympathisers in Vijayawada. The only residence to become their target was that of Katragadda Rajagopala Rao, a former editor of a communist newspaper, who is now a Congress(I) activist. His house was stoned and all the glass panes were smashed. Said Rajagopala Rao: "It was the Telugu Desam's idea of revenge against the Congress(I) by not providing protection to citizens."

As luck would have it, when the trouble erupted, the police force in Vijayawada was occupied with the polling for the gram panchayat elections in four rounds from March 10 to 16. So the local police was caught off guard when Murali and Nehru's supporters swarmed on to the streets. Admitted Vijayawada's Superintendent of Police, Aruna Bahuguna: "We had an initial disadvantage as almost all the policemen were on poll duty.

The rivalry between the gangs of Congress(I) MLA Ranga and Telugu Desam legislator Nehru has claimed many lives.

But we got more men well in time for the funeral procession." It was evident, though, that the police did not have the manpower to round up the well-known hooligans in Vijayawada before they could go on a rampage. Nehru denies that the damage was caused either by Telugu Desam supporters or those sympathising with his brother. "When I asked some stone-throwing youth who they were, they called themselves my men though I did not know them," he said. Police investigators, however, point out that the rioters belonged to Nehru's United Students' Organisation (USO), which merged with Telugu Vidyarthi, a student wing of the Telugu Desam.

Indeed, it is this long-running feud between the two legislators, which has led to not only many killings but also the creation of the USO. Since as early as 1973, huge donations had been collected by a youth club called the United Independents. Nehru and his elder brother Devineni Gandhi used to oversee the club's functioning on behalf of Ranga and his elder brother Vangaveeti Radhakrishnamurthy (known as Radha). Trouble broke out later over the distribution of the large sums which had been collected forcibly from not only traders but also professionals like doctors and architects.

With the murder of Radha in 1974 began a chain of violence of which last month's incident was only the latest evidence. When after this killing Ranga took charge and transferred funds to an organisation called the Radha Mitra Mandali, both Gandhi and Nehru questioned his leadership. The Mandali split on caste lines: the Kapus stayed with Ranga while the Kammas chose to follow Gandhi and Nehru.

In 1979, there was a fresh outrage when Ranga and his associates allegedly killed Gandhi on the campus of Vijayawada's Andhra Loyala College. In retaliation, a year later, Nehru, his brother Murali and others allegedly dragged Ranga's men out of a bus and killed one of them and an innocent passenger.

However, when both these murder cases came up for trial before a magistrate known to hand down stiff punishment, Ranga and Nehru reportedly arrived at a compromise. Witnesses suddenly turned hostile and the cases ended in acquittals.

That is not to say that Vijayawada saw truce. Nehru became an MLA in 1983 - he won again in 1985 - on the Telugu Desam ticket and his stock went up. To check his influence, Ranga became an active Congress(I) worker.

When the Government decided in June 1983 to make Vijayawada a separate urban police district and run it as a commissioner ate as in major cities, giving the superintendent of police wide powers, the Congress(I) led by Ranga resisted the proposal which fell through. That year, Chief Minister N.T. Rama Rao posted K.S. Vyas, a tough police officer, as the superintendent of police to check the activities of the two gangs. While Vyas did bring some kind of order in town, Ranga also capitalised on the crackdown: he frequently sat on hunger strikes to protest against "police oppression" and succeeded in winning public sympathy. It helped him secure the Congress(I) ticket and join Nehru as a legislator in the Assembly.

 

Police investigators believe that the recent killings may have been In retaliation for the murder last May of Mutyalu Sobhanadri, Ranga's chief lieutenant. Though the key men in both factions have been wiped out, few people in Vijayawada believe that the gory story has come to an end.

Though the list of 13 people in whose names warrants have been issued in the recent case does not include Ranga, the Congress(I) legislator has taken anticipatory bail. He also did not immediately attend the Assembly session which began on March 21. With each legislator having the strength of his party to fall back on, it will surprise no one if the saga continues to take ugly turns in the years to come.

 

Adhi chadhivaka naaku ardham ayyindhi enti ante. Both gangs started their career in the name of USO to loot the money from the common people. Money panchukune dhaggara godavalu vocchinay, dhaaniki caste color poosi grow ayyaru. Kalisi pani chesinappudu leni caste feelings and opposite caste lo ammayini pelli chesukunnappudu (Ranga in this case) leni caste feelings tharuvatha endhuku vaccheyi? It is just because they are using the castes for their growth. Idhi theliyakunda vallaki support chesthunna C batch and K batch ni choosthunte gorrela kanna ghoram ga anipisthundhi man. Nevertheless NTR tried to some extent by sending Vyas to Vijayawada.

 

 

[micxas]

Adhi chadhivaka naaku ardham ayyindhi enti ante. Both gangs started their career in the name of USO to loot the money from the common people. Money panchukune dhaggara godavalu vocchinay, dhaaniki caste color poosi grow ayyaru. Kalisi pani chesinappudu leni caste feelings and opposite caste lo ammayini pelli chesukunnappudu (Ranga in this case) leni caste feelings tharuvatha endhuku vaccheyi? It is just because they are using the castes for their growth. Idhi theliyakunda vallaki support chesthunna C batch and K batch ni choosthunte gorrela kanna ghoram ga anipisthundhi man. Nevertheless NTR tried to some extent by sending Vyas to Vijayawada.

Yeah sounds valid man...

NTR part kooda thanu caste or political angle lonche chesundochu kada... If he was strict enough valla viyyankudu meedha actions teesukoledu ga after karamchedu massacre. May be it's all part of politics here too.

[Android_Halwa]

Public ni chootey banainchinaru...

howlagallu...a propoganda la oka 30 years time pass chesinaru..

varma made the movie..producer got money..

 

[ParmQ]

3 minutes ago, micxas said:

Adhi chadhivaka naaku ardham ayyindhi enti ante. Both gangs started their career in the name of USO to loot the money from the common people. Money panchukune dhaggara godavalu vocchinay, dhaaniki caste color poosi grow ayyaru. Kalisi pani chesinappudu leni caste feelings and opposite caste lo ammayini pelli chesukunnappudu (Ranga in this case) leni caste feelings tharuvatha endhuku vaccheyi? It is just because they are using the castes for their growth. Idhi theliyakunda vallaki support chesthunna C batch and K batch ni choosthunte gorrela kanna ghoram ga anipisthundhi man. Nevertheless NTR tried to some extent by sending Vyas to Vijayawada.

Yeah sounds valid man...

NTR part kooda thanu caste or political angle lonche chesundochu kada... If he was strict enough valla viyyankudu meedha actions teesukoledu ga after karamchedu massacre. May be it's all part of politics here too.

I am talking about his actions in Vijayawada context. Use chey konchem. And that too I said that he did to some extent.

[ParmQ]

3 minutes ago, Android_Halwa said:

Public ni chootey banainchinaru...

howlagallu...a propoganda la oka 30 years time pass chesinaru..

varma made the movie..producer got money..

 

Avunu worthy guy. Mee lanti vallu worthy society lo ki velli manchi pani chesaru. Otherwise, mee worthiness thaggedhi.

[micxas]

One more observation. Vangaveeti and Deveneni families valla Power kosam caste ni vadukunnaru, okay fine.

But alage particular caste people kooda valla caste identity kosam villindhani choose chesukundochu kada, so lets not assume people are innocent here.

I see the mistake from both sides may be in varying proportions. 

[micxas]

4 minutes ago, ParmQ said:

I am talking about his actions in Vijayawada context. Use chey konchem. And that too I said that he did to some extent.

I agreed with you on that part man but I doubt the reasons behind NTR intentions, read again 

[ParmQ]

1 minute ago, micxas said:

I agreed with you on that part man but I doubt the reasons behind NTR intentions, read again 

So Vyas ni pampi thappu chesadu antava?

 

[pahelwan]

All the dirty politics were encouraged by NTR sad to say but he is the reason for all the caste based politics. He encouraged Paritala who is a k and devineni who is a k

[micxas]

5 minutes ago, ParmQ said:

So Vyas ni pampi thappu chesadu antava?

 

No, correct decision ee but lets not make NTR a hero here ani antunna. TDP influence penchadaniki pampivundochu kada (because Ranga was in congress) or his caste dominance reestablish cheyadaniki...I could be wrong but I don't see a similar reaction in other incident.

[ParmQ]

7 minutes ago, micxas said:

No, correct decision ee but lets not make NTR a hero here ani antunna. TDP influence penchadaniki pampivundochu kada (because Ranga was in congress) or his caste dominance reestablish cheyadaniki...I could be wrong but I don't see a similar reaction for other incident.

I did not make him hero. You are just assuming. I am just saying he did a good thing to some extent by sending a strict officer. Otherwise, it would be have been worse. Look the things in what have happened. Forget about looking at their intension or assuming of making an hero or zero.

I still don't understand you argument? How is it ....sending a honest officer improve the TDP influence? So your argument is to let Ranga do what ever langa pani he can do to diminish the influence of TDP? Don't forget, Murali was more or equally worse than Ranga. I don''t know how you are assuming sending a strict officer will increase the TDP influence. Vyas kakunda inko office who is more irresponsible and pro-TDP pampithe, you can look more deep into..about the intention.

[micxas]

6 minutes ago, ParmQ said:

I did not make him hero. You are just assuming. I am just saying he did a good thing to some extent by sending a strict officer. Otherwise, it would be have been worse. Look the things in what have happened. Forget about looking at their intension or assuming of making an hero or zero.

I still don't understand you argument? How is it ....sending a honest officer improve the TDP influence? So your argument is to let Ranga do what ever langa pani he can do to diminish the influence of TDP? Don't forget, Murali was more or equally worse than Ranga. I don''t know how you are assuming sending a strict officer will increase the TDP influence. Vyas kakunda inko office who is more irresponsible and pro-TDP pampithe, you can look more deep into..about the intention.

I didn't say you gave the full credit to NTR. That's for the people who consider.

Actions in case of  VJA.. strict officer ni pampadu correcte mari karamchedu incident  taravatha enduku ala respond avvaledhu?

Selective strictness manchidi kaadu it will send wrong signals to some sections. In this case to kapus and Dalits. Do you see my point? 

 

[ParmQ]

4 minutes ago, micxas said:

I didn't say you gave the full credit to NTR. That's for the people who consider.

Actions in case of  VJA.. strict officer ni pampadu correcte mari karamchedu incident  taravatha enduku ala respond avvaledhu?

Selective strictness manchidi kaadu it will send wrong signals to some sections. In this case to kapus and Dalits. Do you see my point? 

 

Lol Mixy, you are again saying the same.thing again. I just said he did good to SOME EXTENT by sending a good officer. And it was only in the Vijyawada context. If there is another thread about Karamchedu, I would have criticised him. And I didn't even talk about his intention. I just talked about his action of sending a good officer. It looks like you may have problem with NTR...or what ever. But I am looking in the things in what happened and in what context.

[micxas]

8 minutes ago, ParmQ said:

Lol Mixy, you are again saying the same.thing again. I just said he did good to SOME EXTENT by sending a good officer. And it was only in the Vijyawada context. If there is another thread about Karamchedu, I would have criticised him. And I didn't even talk about his intention. I just talked about his action of sending a good officer. It looks like you may have problem with NTR...or what ever. But I am looking in the things in what happened and in what context.

I agree with that part man rowdism in any form should be eradicated. 

On a whole NTR was one of the best CMs we ever had but I have difference of opinions on some of his actions..

 

[Tdp14]

Time money power can make people do anything .. no one is exception here.. all are humans except tom b ladies