Mahadevappa, a young Scheduled Tribe leader and BJP Ward-6 candidate, was subjected to sustained harassment and mafia-style intimidation by Congress leaders and their goons which is what drove the young Tribal leader to suicide: BJP
Hyderabad: BJP contestant Erukala Mahadevappa from the 6th ward in Makhtal of Narayanpet district died on suicide early on Tuesday, a day ahead of the municipal polls, triggering a controversy that found its way to Parliament.
Charging that Congress members had threatened and harassed the candidate, Union minister G. Kishan Reddy raised the issue in the Lok Sabha and party MP Dr K. Laxman in the Rajya Sabha.
Giving details from the victim's wife's statement, BJP state president N. Ramchander Rao said Mahadevappa had faced threats from ruling party leaders and followers of sports minister Vakiti Srihari. According to the statement, Mahadevappa was confident of victory.
He alleged that the police took the signature of the victim's illiterate wife, altered details, and filed a false FIR. “If police fail to act as per the law, they will face serious consequences,” Rao said.
Pointing out that Mahadevappa had been forcibly taken into the Congress camp a few days earlier and draped with a party scarf, Ramchander Rao said the loyal candidate had returned to the BJP. He demanded the district SP visit the spot, correct the FIR, and suspend the erring police officers. He announced `10 lakh ex gratia on behalf of the party to the victim's family.
Speaking to newsmen in Delhi, Kishan Reddy said party president Nitin Nabin had enquired about the incident and instructed leaders to ensure Mahadevappa gets justice. Claiming a BJP rally led by activists and MP D.K. Aruna on the last day of the election campaign drew a huge response in Makhtal, Kishan Reddy said Congress leaders, worried by it, pressured and threatened the victim.
BJP vice-president and ;ocal MP Aruna charged that Mahadevappa’s death was not suicide but murder by Congress leaders. She blamed Revanth Reddy and Srihari for the BJP leader's death, accusing Congress of surpassing BRS in threatening political rivals.
Meanwhile, BJP staged a protest opposite the DGP office in Hyderabad, demanding stringent action against those guilty in the death of the party activist in Makhtal.
According to police, over 100 BJP activists were taken into preventive arrest at the state DGP office. After trying to stop aggressive activists who attempted to rush into the DGP office, a scuffle ensued in which DCP Shilpavalli reportedly fell, police said.
“Our teams are reviewing CCTV footage to identify those who scuffled with on-duty personnel, and we will book cases accordingly during further investigation,” Khairatabad DCP K. Shilpavalli told Deccan Chronicle.
Party spokesperson M.V. Subash condemned police actions, stating they applied third-degree methods and inflicted internal injuries on protesting candidates. Party vice-president Banda Kartika Reddy, general secretary Tulla Veerender Goud, SC Morcha state president Ravi Nayak, ST Morcha state president Ravi Nayak, Yuva Morcha state president Ganesh Kunde, and OBC Morcha state president G. Anand Goud were mistreated, taken into preventive custody, and shifted to Musheerabad police station. Ganesh Kunde suffered serious internal injuries, fell ill, and was shifted to Care Hospital at Nampally for treatment, Subash said.
