Three held after death of infant at jatara clash
HYDERABAD: Revealing details of the February 18 clash during the Kummera jatara in Nagarkurnool district and the subsequent death of an infant, police on Tuesday said three persons had been arrested and special teams deployed to trace six absconding accused.
According to police, the initial incident occurred on February 18 during the annual fair at the Sri Mallanna Swamy temple in Kummera village. Undyala Srinivas Reddy (42), a resident of Kummera, lodged a complaint stating that while he was managing the queue at the temple, two women — Chandrakala alias Chakali Karremma and Bowramma — allegedly attempted to jump the queue. When questioned, they reportedly behaved in an abusive manner.
He further alleged that an audio clip containing abusive remarks against him, purportedly recorded by Chilikeswaram Ganesh (nephew of Bowramma), was circulated on a village WhatsApp group.
Police said that when Srinivas Reddy questioned Ganesh about the audio clip, he allegedly attacked him with a stone, causing injury to his head. It was also alleged that Ganesh, along with his relatives, Ashirwadam and Keerthi, assaulted Srinivas Reddy and intervener Sangam Vishnuvardhan Reddy. Based on the complaint, a case was registered at the Nagarkurnool police station under Sections 118(1), 352 read with 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and investigation was taken up.
n the same night around 9.30 pm, Ganesh filed a counter-complaint alleging that Srinivas Reddy and others, identified as Srinu, S Madhu, Satish Reddy, Pavan, Kanni, Srikanth Reddy and Naresh, assaulted and abused his family members. The complaint was initially entered in the General Diary as a non-cognisable offence.
Following court permission, a case was registered under Sections 115(2), 352 read with 3(5) of the BNS. In a related development, on February 21 around 6 am, Chilikeswaram Mounika, wife of Ganesh, brought her two-month-old baby to the government hospital in Nagarkurnool after finding the infant unresponsive. Doctors declared the child dead.
Police registered a case of suspicious death under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
According to the preliminary postmortem report, no external or internal ante-mortem injuries were found on the body. The police said that the exact cause of death will be ascertained after receipt of the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) histopathology report.
On February 22, in an additional statement, Mounika alleged that during the February 18 incident, Srinivas Reddy, village sarpanch Tukaram Reddy and others confined Ganesh in a room and assaulted him with iron rods and coconuts. She further alleged that during the scuffle, Sangam Madhu Reddy kicked her infant, leading to deterioration in the baby’s health and eventual death.
Based on these allegations, another case was registered under various Sections of the BNS and SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. On Monday, the police arrested Srinivas Reddy, Madhusudan Reddy and Srikanth Reddy.
Telangana BC commission conducts probe
Hyderabad: The Telangana Commission for Backward Classes on Tuesday visited Kummera to inquire into the alleged attack on a BC family. The Commission, led by Chairman G Niranjan and members R Jaiprakash, T Surender and Bala Laxmi Rangu, conducted an on-the-spot inquiry. According to preliminary information shared with the Commission, Ganesh and Mounika, who belong to the BC community, were allegedly attacked following a dispute with local organisers over the collection of entry fees during the jatara. Assistant Endowments Commissioner Madan informed the Commission that the temple had been registered with the Endowments Department in 2018. However, due to resistance from certain influential locals, the department had allegedly not been actively involved in organising arrangements for the jatara in recent years.