Inter-caste couple’s friends end life after kin play blame game

HYDERABAD: An inter-caste love marriage in a village of Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district triggered suicide of two young lovers from the same hamlet, but at different locations in a span of a few hours.
K Venkatesh, 25, a native of Redlarepaka vilage in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, has been working as a driver in Hyderabad. He was in love with 22-year-old G Swathi Reddy of the same village.

On June 18, K Venkatesh married Swathi at Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in Warangal without informing their families. After the marriage, Venkatesh and Swathi went to Veligonda police station in Rachakonda commissionerate and informed police.

“We called both the families. They (newly-married couple) did not want to be with their family members and decided to go on their own to Hyderabad. We took the statement of the couple and counselled their family members not to cause any problems,” Veligonda sub-inspector (SI) Md Idris Ali said.

Two days later, around 2pm on Wednesday, K Venkatesh’s neighbour in his native place and also his room-mate in Hyderabad, S Venkatesh, 23, committed suicide by hanging at their room in Madhapur. On learning about the suicide of his lover, D Siri, 19, also from Redlarepaka, committed suicide in Repalle town of Guntur district in AP in the evening.

“After the suicides, S Venkatesh’s father, S Jahangir, who runs a tent house, alleged that on June 19 night, Swathi Reddy’s father Papi Reddy along with others came to his house and blamed his son for playing a role in performing the marriage of Swathi and K Venkatesh,” the SI said.

Jahangir informed about the threats to his son. The family members alleged that threats from Papi Reddy and his family might have forced S Venkatesh to end his life. Based on their complaint, Veligonda police have registered a case under Sections 506 and 341 of the IPC against Papi Reddy and others.

“We have seized phone of S Venkatesh, who was a roommate of K Venkatesh. The latter was not staying at the room after his marriage and we do not know his whereabouts,” Madhapur SI V Srinivas said.

After the post-mortem,their bodies reached their native on Thursday. Police remained put in the village to ensure that no untoward incident happens.