Hyderabad, May 11 (IANS): Unidentified persons Sunday shot dead a former Maoist leader and now a functionary of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in Andhra Pradesh, police said.
K. Ramulu, 40, was gunned down in Nalgonda when he was on his way to attend a marriage in the town, about 120 km from here.
The attackers threw chilli powder into his eyes before opening three rounds of fire. They escaped before Ramulu's security guards could respond.
Ramulu was vice president of the TRS Nalgonda district unit. He was the brother of surrendered Maoist leader Sambasivudu who was murdered in 2011.
TRS leaders said Ramulu had escaped earlier attempts on his life. He had complained to police about threats to his life.
TRS chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao condemned Ramulu's killing and demanded immediate action to arrest the culprits.
Sambasivudu, involved in several murder cases and the mastermind in the assassination bid on former chief ministers N. Chandrababu Naidu and N. Janardhana Reddy, was made a politburo member of TRS after he joined the party.