HYDERABAD: Erukala Mahadevappa, a BJP candidate for Ward VI in Makthal municipality of Narayanpet district, died by suicide on Tuesday morning, with the party alleging that he was under pressure from his political opponent to withdraw from the municipal elections.
The death triggered a political row, with the BJP holding the Congress responsible and raising the issue in Parliament. DGP B Shivadhar Reddy said he had not yet received full details of the incident and that no suicide note had been found. He told reporters that the matter was under examination.
Following the incident, the State Election Commission countermanded the election in the ward and said a fresh date would be announced later.
Meanwhile, Telangana BJP president N Ramchander Rao alleged that Mahadevappa was subjected to harassment and intimidation by leaders of the ruling Congress in Narayanpet district, leading to his death.
Ramchander Rao, along with Mahbubnagar MP DK Aruna, visited Makthal to meet the bereaved family.
According to Ramchander Rao, Mahadevappa’s wife told him that her husband took the step due to pressure from Congress leaders, despite being confident of winning the poll. He alleged that the harassment was carried out at the behest of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.
He also accused the local police of altering the First Information Report by disregarding the statement given by the victim’s wife. “We have information that the police at the local police station altered the FIR. Mahadevappa’s wife is uneducated and, taking advantage of this, the police appear to have taken her signature and registered a false FIR by changing the details without her knowledge,” he claimed.
Demanding an impartial inquiry, he said the BJP would pursue the matter until justice was delivered to Mahadevappa’s family. He urged the district SP to visit the spot, conduct an inquiry and correct what he termed a false FIR. Ramchander Rao also demanded a postmortem examination and the suspension of police personnel allegedly involved in registering an incorrect case.
The BJP leader further said members of the Human Rights Commission would visit Makthal to inquire into the incident and announced `10 lakh as financial assistance from the party to Mahadevappa’s family. Later, a BJP delegation led by him submitted a representation to the State Election Commission, seeking a probe into the death.
The issue was also raised in Parliament by Union Minister G Kishan Reddy and Rajya Sabha member Dr K Laxman. Kishan described the incident as part of a “politics of intimidation” in the home district of the chief minister, while Laxman said Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi should respond to the matter.
Never met suicide victim, says Vakiti
Hyderabad: Animal Husbandry Minister Vakiti Srihari on Tuesday said he had never met Erukala Mahadevappa, the BJP candidate for Ward VI in the Makthal municipal elections who died by suicide, and denied any role in the incident.
Describing the death as unfortunate, Srihari said he had “nothing to do with it” and added that he was prepared to face any action if his involvement was established.
Srihari criticised comments made by BJP leaders, calling them inhuman, and said he had never harmed anyone in public life. He said he opposed factional politics and followed what he termed healthy political practices.
The minister said he was first elected as a sarpanch and later became a minister without resorting to intimidation. Alleging that BJP leaders were seeking political mileage by politicising the death, Srihari said the government had ordered a probe into the matter.