HYDERABAD: An agricultural officer from Mahaboobnagar district, who set herself on fire four days ago -- allegedly under unbearable pressure from some people’s representatives, including an opposition party MLA, in regard to sanctioning of sprinkler systems -- died here Sunday.
The TDP legislator from Devarakadra, Sita Dayakar Reddy, however, claimed that she did not put any pressure on the AO.
Rajeshwari (25), set herself ablaze in her house under the Marikal police station limits on the night of October 14 after returning from a meeting attended by Sita Dayakar Reddy.
She was shifted to a corporate hospital in the city where she died early Sunday morning.
Sources said Rajeshwari was being forced to include names suggested by the said politicos as sprinkler systems beneficiaries.
“While the TDP legislator was pressing the case for her flock, the MPP and ZPTC, both reportedly belonging to the ruling party, wanted the allotment to be made to their followers,” they said.
In her dying declaration to a magistrate, Rajeshwari reportedly said that pressure had been brought on her by the MLA and two other people’s representatives, local MPP Bharatamma and ZPTC Pradeep Goud, in sanction of sprinkler systems under her jurisdiction.
On October 14, Rajeshwari met Sita Dayakar Reddy near Kurumurthy temple and from there she left for her house and set herself ablaze around 9:30 p.m.
Rajeshwari’s father, Hanumanthu, saw his daughter in flames and after putting them out rushed her to a hospital in Mahaboobnagar and later to Apollo Hospitals at DRDO, Kanchanbagh.
Sita Dayakar Reddy, for her part, maintained that she did not hold any “official meeting” with the AO. “I held a meeting at the Kurumurthy temple to discuss arrangements for the jatara scheduled tomorrow and Rajeshwari came there to discuss sanction of sprinkler systems. There were several other officials, including police -- as the area is Naxal-affected, and I did not exert any pressure on her,” the legislator told Express.
“Rajeshwari told me that she had got only 32 applications for the 35 sanctioned sprinkler systems and there were no applications from STs to fill the quota. At her insistence, I spoke to the Project Director for any possible adjustment of the quota after which she left the place,” Sita Dayakar Reddy said, adding that she had asked the AO of CC Kunta to drop her at Devarakadra as it was already evening and she was physically challenged.
Meanwhile, Mahaboobnagar police said they were yet to receive a copy of the dying declaration. “Based on it, we will take action in accordance with the law,” said Mahaboobnagar District Superintendent of Police G Sudheer Babu.
A case under Section 174 (suspicious death) has been registered by the Marikal police of the district. The case would be altered to Section 306 (abetment to commit suicide) if the AO had indeed declared that pressure was brought on her by the people’s representatives, police officials said.