Land greed delays burial in Andhra Pradesh

GUNTUR: It appears that the abnormal increase in land prices in Amaravati, the new AP capital, has sounded the death knell of humanitarian values.

The body of a suicide victim was not cremated by her relatives for four days as they squabbled over her property share.

Sakhamuru resident Sri Lakshmi ended her life after her husband Ardhala Gopala Rao told her to demand an acre of land from her father Marri Sankar.

Married nine years ago, the couple had two sons. At the time of marriage, Mr Sankar had given an acre of land and gold ornaments as dowry.

Following the rise in land prices, Gopala Rao sold the land for RS 1.5 crore. He invested some of the money in another plot and began spending the rest.

This, and his demand for additional dowry after almost a decade of married life, resulted in frequent domestic quarrels.

On April 13, Lakshmi went to her parents’ home and asked her father to give at least an acre of land, but he refused.

On April 14, after a heated argument with her husband, Lakshmi consumed pesticide. She died on April 15 while undergoing treatment. In her dying declaration, she blamed the dispute for her suicide.

Tullur police handed over Lakshmi’s body to Gopala Rao after autopsy on April 16. Her relatives reached the place and demanded that the house and land be registered in the names of her children, but Gopala Rao and his family did not agree.

As the two groups remained adamant, the funeral was delayed till Saturday. Finally, elders intervened and persuaded Gopala Rao to relent.

However, when the body was being taken for last rites, the two groups started arguing again. They left the body on the road and returned to their homes. Locals informed the police who made the two groups see sense.

Sub-inspector Ravi Babu said that the abnormal hike in land price was creating disputes between relatives. “Unfortunate that a dead woman became victim of people’s greed. We couldn’t do anything as there was no complaint lodged,” he said.