Hyderabad, Feb 10 (PTI) A BJP ST candidate contesting the municipal elections in Telangana allegedly died by suicide in Narayanpet district on Tuesday, with the issue becoming a flashpoint between the saffron party and the ruling Congress.
The BJP alleged that “harassment and intimidation” by the Congress leaders drove the candidate belonging to Schedule Tribe (ST) to take the extreme step. Hitting back at the BJP, the Congress said the saffron leaders are trying to derive political mileage out of the incident by blaming the ruling dispensation.
Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy raised the issue in the parliament, alleging that harassment, kidnaps and other atrocities are happening in Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s native district.
E Mahadevappa (44), contesting for the councillor post in Makthal municipality, was found hanging to the ceiling fan at his house in Makthal at around 4.30 AM, police said.
The Telangana BJP announced an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh to the family of Mahadevappa.
As of now, there is no prima facie evidence of abetment, but police are investigating from all angles, a senior police official said.
The reason for the suicide is still not known, police added.
Director General of Police (DGP) B Shivadhar Reddy told reporters here that a case has been registered.
“No suicide note was found,” he said, adding further investigation was on.
On the allegations that somebody was behind the suicide, the top police official said that an investigation is underway and the investigators will go ahead as per the evidence available.
On a query that the police themselves wrote a complaint and took a signature from the deceased candidate’s daughter, the DGP dismissed the allegation. “We will book a case as per the contents of the complaint,” he said.
The BJP held a protest at the Telangana DGP office here seeking justice and several workers and leaders were removed by police.
The BJP activists who tried to force their way inside the DGP office were prevented by police.
Police took the protesters away in a vehicle after taking them into preventive custody.
State BJP president N Ramchander Rao called on the grieving family members of Mahadevappa at Makthal.
“Mahadevappa, a young Scheduled Tribe leader and BJP Ward-6 candidate, was subjected to sustained harassment and mafia-style intimidation by Congress leaders and their goons which drove the young Tribal leader to suicide,” he alleged in a post on ‘X’.
Alleging that Congress’ anti-tribal mindset is no secret, he said, from opposing the election of Droupadi Murmu as President to intimidating a grassroots tribal leader, the party’s “contempt for tribal communities knows no limits”.
Though Mahadevappa’s wife stated that her husband took the extreme step due to the pressures from a local minister’s supporters, police have reportedly changed the FIR, a BJP release quoted Rao as saying.
He said the police should not make any changes to the “original FIR”.
Rao also demanded conducing a post-mortem and also strict action against all those who allegedly harassed and intimidated Mahadevappa.
“The BJP Parivaar stands firmly with our karyakartas. Let it be made clear: intimidation and threats of Congress will not silence us for long,” Rao added.
Union Minister of State for Home, Bandi Sanjay Kumar, in a statement here said Mahadevappa’s alleged suicide is a “murder by the Congress” and sought an impartial inquiry into the incident and “arrest of Congress leaders”.
BJP leaders, led by Ramchander Rao, later submitted a memorandum to State Election Commissioner Rani Kumudini here.
The wife of the deceased told BJP leaders and also media that the “local Congress leaders, including one state minister, had threatened Mahadevappa with dire consequences even if he wins elections”, the BJP alleged in the memorandum.
After seeing the success of a BJP rally in which Mahadevappa also participated, Congress leaders had threatened him not to go for voting on February 11 and stay at home failing which he may face serious consequences. “Out of fear, he committed suicide,” the BJP claimed.
Subsequently, police, who came to the house of the deceased, gave a white paper to his daughter and asked her to write some content which was given to her, it said.
The daughter of the deceased, who was in a state of shock, wrote the contents on the white paper in the presence of an inspector and other policemen and subsequently police are supposed to have registered the FIR, the party alleged.
The police filed a misleading case to “help the local minister”, it said.
The “action of the police” was biased, the BJP said, demanding that the inspector and sub-inspector of police should be placed under suspension and not given any election duty till February 16 when election of municipal chairman takes place.
The municipal elections are scheduled for February 11.
Countering the BJP’s allegations, Chairman of Media and Communications Wing of Telangana Congress, Sama Rammohan Reddy, said the BJP leaders are trying to derive political mileage out of the incident by blaming the ruling Congress.
He also alleged that the candidate may have ended his life due to pressure from the BJP leaders.
Meanwhile, official sources said the election in the ward where Mahadevappa was the candidate has been postponed. PTI VVK SJR GDK SJR SA
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