Special teams formed to solve murder case

Home Minister N. Chinarajappa on Saturday said five special teams were constituted to apprehend those involved in the murder of Mohammad Farooq, caretaker of a mosque in the Lalacheruvu area in the city, in the early hours of Friday.

The government was committed to ensuring communal harmony and would not tolerate such incidents, he said.

Mr. Chinarajappa visited the mosque along with MP M. Muralimohan, MLCs M.A. Sharif and Adireddy Apparao, MLA Akula Satyanarayana, and Mayor P. Rajani Sesha Sai. Later, he spoke with the elders of the community. Addressing the media later, the Home Minister said that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had already instructed the DGP and Rajamahendravaram Urban SP to nab the culprits at the earliest.

Ex gratia

The Chief Minister had announced ₹5 lakh ex gratia to the next of kin of the deceased, and instructed the officials to arrange for sending the body of Mr. Farooq to his native place at Bhagalpur in Bihar at government expenses.

This apart, the district Collector announced an ex gratia of ₹1 lakh to the bereaved family. The Municipal Corporation promised to give ₹1 lakh for undertaking repairs to the mosque.

Mr. Muralimohan appealed to the elders of the community to ensure communal harmony. Mr. Sharif said the government was committed to ensuring harmony. Mr. Naidu was the only Chief Minister who fixed salaries for Imams and other staff members of mosques, he said. Mr. Apparao criticised the attempts of some political parties to politicise the issue. Dr. Satyanarayana said Rajamahendravaram was known for communal harmony and such actions would not be tolerated. Ms. Rajani said the corporation would give ₹1 lakh towards undertaking repairs as directed by the Home Minister.

Earlier in the day, members of the community took out a procession with the dead body of Mr. Farooq. In the evening, the TDP leaders, along with Muslims, participated in a candlelight rally to promote peace.

70 officers deputed

Staff Reporter in Vijayawada writes:

The government deputed 70 police officers to investigate the murder as Mr. Naidu ordered that nothing should be left to chance to trace the killers in view of the sensitive nature of the case. The policemen are being helped by K.P.C. Gandhi, adviser to the Government in forensic sciences, and Real-Time Governance CEO Babu A. in achieving a breakthrough.

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