Thirteen people of a family were killed when their house was allegedly set ablaze by rivals at Polkampalli in Mahabubnagar district of Andhra Pradesh. The incident, which occurred late on Friday night, came to light only this morning.The attackers, residents of the same village, set afire the house of one Ashok, SP K Srinivas Reddy said. Four women and an equal number of children were among those killed, he said.According to police, the house was set on fire by a gang led by Kistappa, who had a long-standing land dispute with Ashok. The enmity had led to the killing of a member of Kistappa’s family three months ago.Ashok, who was accused in a murder case and had been released on bail six months ago, tried to attack the house of Kistappa. But Kistappa’s supporters foiled the attack. They then went to Ashok’s house and set it on fire, Reddy said. Two people were charred to death in the fire.When other members of Ashok’s family tried to escape, they were caught by the attackers and locked inside a room where they died of suffocation, Reddy said. No arrests have been made so far in this connection, he added.
