3 min readLucknowAug 13, 2025 06:15 PM IST
First published on: Aug 13, 2025 at 06:14 PM IST
Varanasi Police on Tuesday claimed to have solved the case of last month’s alleged attack on the Banaras Hindu University Telugu Department head, Professor C S Rama Chandra Murty, alleging it was part of a conspiracy by a colleague over an internal dispute.
Two persons have been arrested, while the alleged mastermind, Professor Budati Venkatesh Lu, and six others are absconding. “Only after questioning (Venkatesh) can it be confirmed what specific dispute he had with the victim,” said Gaurav Kumar, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Varanasi. Kumar added that the two arrested “confessed” to the crime.
Murty, who is set to retire next year, was allegedly assaulted inside the BHU campus on July 28, sustaining fractures to both hands. The arrested accused are Pramod Kumar alias Ganesh Pasi of Prayagraj and B Bhaskar of Telangana. Pramod was held during an encounter in Varanasi in which he suffered a bullet injury, while Bhaskar was detained in Telangana and brought to Varanasi on transit remand. Police claimed a countrymade pistol was recovered from Pramod.
Police said Venkatesh, who was the head of the Telugu department before Murty, allegedly held his complaint against him responsible for his removal and allegedly conspired with then Assistant Professor Kasim Babu to murder him.
Bhaskar allegedly told police he has known Venkatesh since 2016, when Venkatesh was at Andhra Pradesh Central University and he was pursuing postgraduation there. Police said that in May this year, on Venkatesh’s invitation, Bhaskar visited Varanasi and stayed with him for a week, when Venkatesh and Babu allegedly pressed him to arrange the killing.
Police said Bhaskar claimed he then contacted his friend Mohammed Kasim also from Telangana, and on July 25, the two flew to Varanasi and checked into a hotel. Kasim allegedly roped in Pramod Kumar. Kumar allegedly engaged Suraj Dubey of Ghazipur and paid him Rs 48,000 allegedly paid by Kasim for the job, and Dubey allegedly brought in Pradhuman Yadav and Vishal Yadav also from Ghazipur, and Vedant Bhushan Mishra from Jaunpur.
The ACP said that during the investigation, police collected CCTV footage from the college campus. Based on leads about the suspects, he said officers examined their call records, which eventually led to their identification.
The group allegedly conducted a recce on July 26 and 27 before allegedly attacking Murty on July 28 with a steel rod near BHU’s Birla Hostel crossing. Students rushed to help, but the assailants fled.
A protest staged by students and faculty ended after police assured that the perpetrators would be arrested.
BHU authorities said that the police have not yet shared any investigation report with them, and they are unaware of any findings in the case. Police, meanwhile, said that more findings will emerge with the questioning of seven absconding accused.
Two persons have been arrested, while the alleged mastermind, Professor Budati Venkatesh Lu, and six others are absconding. (File photo) 
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