CPI Leader Gunned Down in Hyderabad; Four Suspects Surrender

Hyderabad: A 43-year-old Communist Party of India (CPI) leader, Kethavath Chandu Naik, was fatally shot by unknown assailants during his morning walk in Malakpet, Hyderabad, on Tuesday, according to police reports. The incident occurred in broad daylight near Shalivahana Nagar Park, where Naik, a state council member of the CPI, was attacked around 7:30 AM.

Authorities stated that three to four attackers approached Naik in a Maruti Swift, threw chili powder in his eyes to disorient him, and then opened fire at close range. Naik succumbed to his injuries on the spot. The assailants fled the scene in the same vehicle. Despite the presence of nearly two dozen people in the park, the attackers managed to escape initially.

Naik’s wife, Nari, reported seeing a familiar individual, identified as Rajesh, along with three others in a Swift car near the park before the incident. She alerted her husband, but he dismissed her concerns. Nari noted that Naik and Rajesh were friends until a falling out two years ago, reportedly over Rajesh’s alleged extortion of money from slum dwellers on Bhoodan land in Kuntloor, promising them property titles.

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Police investigations suggest the murder may be linked to a land dispute or past rivalries. Naik was previously accused in a 2022 murder case at LB Nagar Police Station, which was later transferred to Nagole Police Station following a reorganization. In that case, an MRPS activist, Bhanu Chander, was killed, and Naik was named as the second accused.

Later on Tuesday, four suspects identified as Rajesh, Edukondalu, Prashant, and another individual surrendered to the special operations team, as confirmed by Hyderabad South East DCP S Chaitanya Kumar. “We are exploring all possible angles, including old rivalries or land disputes,” Kumar told. Ten police teams have been deployed to further investigate the case and review CCTV footage to trace the attackers’ movements.

The killing has sent shockwaves through the local community, with residents recalling the panic caused by the gunfire in the usually calm Shalivahana Nagar area. Naik, who previously switched from CPI (ML) to CPI, leaves behind a grieving family and a community grappling with the violent loss of a prominent political figure.