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Six persons were killed and another injured in a factional feud in Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh on Friday morning.
New agency reports, however, put the toll at eight.
According to a Kurnool district police spokesman, the incident occurred between 06:30 hours to 07:00 am hours IST at Jillelabudkala village, near Kodumur town, about 240 km south of Hyderabad, when the group led by Seshu was attacked with crude bombs and sickles by rivals.
Seshu and his associates went to Kappatrala village and attacked the leader of the rival group, Venkatappa Naidu, while he was on a morning walk near his house.
They hurled bombs, following which Venkatappa Naidu sustained splinter injuries on his legs. His gunman opened fire to scare away the assailants.
However, when Seshu and his group members were fleeing, the henchmen of Venkatappa Naidu at the neighbouring village of Jillelabudkala intercepted them and attacked them with crude bombs.
They hacked Seshu and five of his associates to death, while others were seriously injured.
The police attributed the incident to previous enmity between factions of Venkatappa Naidu and Seshu. Venkatappa Naidu, who is a former president of the Mandal Praja Parishad, belongs to the ruling Telugu Desam Party.
He had allegedly attacked and killed family members of his rival, except two.
Seshu, who was living in Tadipatri, returned to take revenge. Seshu belongs to the Congress.
The police further said that the feud has political, factional and casteist overtones since the rival groups belonged to the backward castes of Boya and Padmashali.
Senior police officials, including Deputy Inspector-General of Police Krishna Raju, rushed to the spot. The injured person was admitted to Pattikonda hospital. The bodies of the victims were shifted to the hospital for post-mortem.
Venkatappa Naidu was also admitted to the hospital.
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