HYDERABAD: Nagarkurnool SP Patil Sangram Singh Ganapatrao on Thursday stated that the two-month-old baby who allegedly died during a scuffle at the Mallanna Jatara in Kummera had pre-existing health issues.
The infant, a premature baby weighing 1.44 kg born on December 21, 2025, had been treated for 30 days at Niloufer Hospital for Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia and Late-onset Neonatal Sepsis (Klebsiella pneumoniae).
SP Patil said that on February 18, Undyala Srinivas Reddy (42) complained that while managing queues at the temple festival, three women allegedly tried to bypass the line and abused him. Later, Bouramma’s nephew, C Ganesh, reportedly posted an abusive audio in the village WhatsApp group. When Srinivas Reddy confronted him, Ganesh allegedly struck him with a stone, and relatives reportedly attacked him with stones. A case was registered.
On the same day, Chakali Ganesh filed a petition claiming that Srinivas Reddy and seven others assaulted him and abused his family.
On February 21, Chilakeshwara Mounika (25) reported her two-month-old daughter was found unresponsive and declared dead at Nagarkurnool Hospital. Mounika later alleged that during the February 18 incident, Srinivas demanded `100 for temple entry, used caste-based slurs (“Madiga”), and harassed her.
She also alleged that later that evening, a group of men (Reddy community members and the sarpanch) locked her husband, Ganesh, in a room and brutally assaulted him with iron rods and coconuts, when she pleaded for mercy by placing her infant at their feet, Sangam Madhu Reddy kicked the baby, causing her to fall two meters away.
She attributed the child’s subsequent death to this injury.
However, the postmortem examination found no internal or external injuries. SP Patil added that there was no evidence of medical treatment sought for the infant between February 18 and her death on February 21. Authorities are also verifying Mounika’s identity and caste certificates, as she has not provided her details, to proceed with the investigation.
NHRC seeks action taken report
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken up the case of a two-month-old infant who died after being injured during an incident at the Kummera Mallanna Swamy Jatara in Nagarkurnool district on February 18. The infant, daughter of Ganesh, died in hospital on February 21 following the alleged attack on her family.
On Wednesday, the NHRC issued a notice to the district magistrate and SP, asking them to submit an action taken report within four weeks. The commission has registered a case and is seeking details of the events that led to the child’s death and any steps taken by authorities.
The commission’s intervention follows a complaint filed with it, alleging lapses in law enforcement and administrative handling of the matter. According to reports, the incident started when members of the infant’s family, from the Chakali community, were stopped at the temple entrance during the festival and a dispute arose over an entry fee.
A scuffle ensued, during which the infant allegedly sustained critical injuries. In the complaint to the NHRC, it was claimed that when the family approached the Nagarkurnool police to report the matter, police were reluctant to register an FIR as the accused had “political connections”.