Elderly Woman Dies by Suicide After Receiving Legal Notice for Double Voting
According to Peddapalli Rural sub-inspector of police Mallesham, Radhamma was a native of Gollapalli village in Kamanpur mandal and had recently shifted to Rangapur in Peddapalli mandal, where she was living with her son.
Karimnagar: A woman, 61, identified as Monari Radhamma, died by suicide after allegedly facing harassment and legal action initiated by a defeated sarpanch candidate over a double-voting dispute. She got a court notice and allegedly faced death threats from the candidate’s family.
According to Peddapalli Rural sub-inspector of police Mallesham, Radhamma was a native of Gollapalli village in Kamanpur mandal and had recently shifted to Rangapur in Peddapalli mandal, where she was living with her son. Although she registered her vote at her new place of residence, her name continued to remain on the electoral rolls in Gollapalli. During the recent gram panchayat elections, she cast her vote in Rangapur.
The dispute arose after Kalaboina Narendar, a candidate for the sarpanch post in Gollapalli, lost the election by a margin of just one vote. While reviewing the results, Narendar identified eight individuals who allegedly held votes in two villages and had exercised their franchise during elections held in different phases in the district. Claiming that double voting led to his defeat, he filed a petition in the Peddapalli Junior Civil Court against these individuals, including Radhamma.
Following this, the court issued notices to the accused, directing them to appear for a hearing next month. Police said that after receiving the notice, Radhamma became mentally distressed and had expressed anxiety to acquaintances, fearing legal consequences for an act she may not have realised was a serious offence.
The situation reportedly worsened when Narendar’s brother, Vijendar, allegedly confronted Radhamma and her family, blaming her for his brother’s defeat and issuing death threats.
Unable to cope with the combined pressure of the court proceedings and the alleged intimidation, Radhamma went missing on Tuesday evening. Her body was recovered from SRSP canal on Wednesday after a search operation. SI Mallesham said that based on a complaint lodged by Radhamma’s son, Mahendar, a criminal case has been registered against Kalaboina Narendar and his brother Vijendar. Police have launched an investigation into allegations of harassment and abetment to suicide.
