Telangana lawyer couple who fought against police custodial death, murdered
In broad daylight, a lawyer couple was brutally murdered at Ramagiri near Ramagundam in Pedapalli district of Telangana. The two have been identified as Gattau Vamana Rao and wife P.V. Nagamani.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 17 Feb 2021 11:15 AM GMT
Hyderabad: In broad daylight, a lawyer couple was brutally murdered at Ramagiri near Ramagundam in Pedapalli district of Telangana. The two have been identified as Gattau Vamana Rao and wife P.V. Nagamani.
The unidentified persons used sharp weapons to hack the couple to death. The duo practice law at the Telangana High Court in Hyderabad. In his dying statement, the lawyer accused Kunta Srinivas, a TRS functionary.
According to the family, the couple were travelling in a car when a group of unidentified men intercepted them and killed them. The scenes from the murder site have shocked the state.
It is to recall that in 2020 the Telangana High Court instructed State- Director General of Police to ensure proper security is given to the couple as both were facing threats.
The then Bench comprising of Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice B Vijaysen Reddy directed the Telangana DGP not to call the couple to any police station. This is after practising lawyer Ms Nagamani wrote to the Chief Justice stating that a person by name Sheelam Rangaiah died in the custody of Manthani Police station under Ramagundam Police Commissionerates.
This letter was converted into a PIL petition and the High court issued notices to the government. The court also instructed Hyderabad- Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar to probe into the custodial death of the man.
Following this IPS officer in June 2019 presented a report to the High court. In this regard, Ms Nagamani had filed a counter-affidavit. Trouble began to brew when Nagamani complained to the High court that she was being harassed at her native places of Manthani and in Hyderabad.
She told the court that her husband Gattu Vaman Rao who is also practising law, was being falsely implicated in a case registered in a different police station under Ramagundam.'My life is in danger, and I am receiving threatening calls. My children are also facing life threats," she told the High Court.
On 17 February, the couple were murdered in Ramagundam district of Telangana.
The Legal, Human Rights & RTI Department of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee condemns the murder of Advocate Gattu Vaman Rao and his wife PV Nagamani. "We demand the State Government and DGP Telangana to take stringent action against the culprits and the conspirators. It is high time for the Lawyers to rise and fight against the brutal acts taking place in the recent past and also demand necessary protections for the lawyers," said, C Damodar Reddy, Chairman, Legal, Human Rights & RTI Department, TPCC.
Also, the Bar Council of Telangana has released a statement condemning the killing of lawyer couple.
