HYDERABAD: For more than 16 long years, members of the family of Belli Lalitha, a revolutionary singer who was brutally killed in 1999 by Nayeem’s associates, moved from one place to another fearing for life.
Apart from Lalitha, some other members of the family were also killed by Nayeem gang. Ask the family members what they lost in all these years and pat comes the reply: “We lost our lives.”
Members of the families of activists who were either killed, kidnapped or threatened by Nayeem’s gang gathered at a programme organised by Telangna Praja Front near Indira Park here on Tuesday and demanded action against all those who allowed Nayeem to unleash terror on people. They demanded an inquiry by the Supreme Court so that all those involved could be brought to justice.
Belli Lalitha was chopped into pieces and her body was found in May of 1999. “After her, my husband Mukka Karunakar was killed in the middle of a road in February 2000,” said Srilatha, Lalitha’s sister.
“They said they were Nayeem’s gang members, threatened to kill all family members and also all those who gave shelter to us,” said Chandrashekhar, Lalitha’s brother. He said they lost out on education and life all these years and demanded action against all those who supported Nayeem in his acts.
Among Nayeem’s many victims was rights activist Purushotham. “We used to live in Dilsukhnagar. On November 23, 2000, my father went out to buy a soap when he was surrounded by Nayeem and nine others. He was stabbed 19 times and he died on the spot,” recalled Swechha, Purushotham’s daughter.
“It was shocking that though Nayeem was an accused, the case was dismissed as an eyewitness backed out. There were many who witnessed the brutal killing of my father on the road. But they were intimidated into silence,” she said.
Palamuru Adhyayana Vedika convener
M Raghava Chary said there are three forms of killings. “One is on the pretext of encounters. Second by using people. Third is deaths because of new economic policies. And there are cases of people going missing. There should be a judicial inquiry into all these so that injustice and atrocities faced by people would be brought out and people would become aware of it,” he said.
Those who were threatened to be killed and kidnapped also spoke. “I was with Telangana Praja Front. Nayeem’s gang members took me away in a car from Achampet in October 2014 and asked me to resign from the Front, saying it was associated with Maoists. However, they set me free by evening,” said Ambanna.
