Kurnool: Deep political and factional tensions have gripped Polakal village in C Belagal mandal after a 42-year-old man was brutally murdered late Sunday night following a violent clash over illegal red soil excavation. The deceased has been identified as Jagan.

According to police and local sources, the confrontation erupted near Guruthippa in the Brahmana Doddi area. Ground reports indicate that red soil excavation activities were being actively executed on the site by operators allegedly backed by local leaders associated with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

Jagan reportedly intercepted the heavy machinery and strongly objected to the ongoing excavation work.

This sudden intervention triggered a heated verbal argument that rapidly spiraled into a full-blown physical assault between two rival groups.

During the ensuing melee, the rival group launched a coordinated physical assault on Jagan.

He sustained critical, life-threatening injuries and was immediately rushed by his family members to the Vishwabharathi Hospital in nearby Penchikalapadu. Despite desperate attempts by the emergency medical team, Jagan succumbed to his wounds while undergoing treatment.

The C Belagal police have registered a case of murder and initiated a comprehensive investigation to trace the culprits.

Given that Polakal is a historically faction-prone zone, senior police officials have established temporary pickets and deployed additional law enforcement units in and around the village to maintain law and order and prevent any retaliatory violence.