Vying for priesthood, kin hack man to death

Tirupati: A 37-year-old man was

hacked

to death by his

relatives

over a dispute at Nallapureddipalli village in Narpala mandal of Anantapur district on Saturday.

According to Narpala PS sub-inspector Phaneendranath Reddy, there was a dispute between the families of one Narayana Swamy and his brother Angadi Veera Narappa over the

priesthood

at a local temple. “Narayana Swamy was working as a priest at the local Veera Narappa Swamy temple till recently. As he was was retiring, he anointed his son Veera Narappa as the priest in his place. But Narayana’s brother Angadi also staked claim for the same job for his family and there was a clash between the two families about three days back,” he said.

“Though village elders tried to broker peace between the warring families, the tension continued. On Saturday morning, Angadi and his two sons Nagarjuna and Nagendra allegedly attacked Narayana’s son Veera with hunting sickles and hacked him to death,” the SI added.

By the time the police rushed to the crime scene, Veera had succumbed to his injuries. The three accused are on the run. The body has been shifted to the local government hospital for autopsy. Police have registered a case and have launched a manhunt to nab the accused.