HYDERABAD: Condemning the death of the infant in Kummera village of Nagarkurnool district and describing it as “unforgivable”, BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Wednesday demanded Rs 1 crore compensation from the state government to the bereaved family.
Interacting with the family, the former minister termed the incident an inhuman tragedy and said the accused must be punished and imprisoned. He added that if required, they should be awarded the death penalty, but under no circumstances should they be allowed to go free.
Rama Rao said it was unacceptable for anyone, be it Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, the local MLA or the local MP, to support those responsible for the child’s death. He demanded that murder charges be filed against the eight accused involved in the attack and that they be arrested immediately.
The BRS leader alleged that the state government was attempting to derail the investigation by misusing its authority and influencing the police. He described the government’s inaction and the Chief Minister’s silence on what he termed a barbaric incident as “unforgivable”.
Referring to the background of the incident, he said Chandrakala’s family had only sought an opportunity to offer prayers at the Mallanna Swamy Jatara when they were attacked. He said the Kummera incident had caused pain and anguish across Telangana.
Rama Rao expressed concern that discrimination and violence in the name of caste and religion continued even in the 21st century. Alleging political protection for the accused, he said 20–25 persons carried out a mob attack on Ganesh’s family and that the infant was kicked to death despite pleas to spare the child.
Reiterating his demand, the BRS working president called for immediate registration of murder cases against the eight accused and swift arrests of all those involved. Rama Rao assured continued support to the family and announced that a house would be constructed for them with assistance of Rs 10 lakh. He also provided immediate financial assistance of Rs1 lakh to the family.