Telangana: Beaten up by sarpanch, 18-year-old dies by suicide

KHAMMAM: Tension prevailed in Aswaraopet as relatives of an 18-year-old youth, who felt humiliated as he was beaten up by the Naravarigudem Sarpanch consumed pesticide two days ago and died while undergoing treatment on Tuesday, staged a dharna in front of the police station.

The deceased boy Thumma Bhavani Sankar’s relatives and other villagers, who came to the Aswaraopet police station along with the body, alleged that the boy took the extreme step unable to bear the harassment by Sarpanch M Naga Muthyam. They also accused the police of being indifferent and refusing to register a case against the Sarpanch. 

Bhavani Sankar reportedly helped a boy and a girl, both minors, elope from the village. The Sarpanch then started harassing the boy, following which the latter consumed pesticide two days ago. He died on Tuesday while undergoing treatment in a hospital in Kothagudem.

Soon after villagers in large numbers gathered at the police station and started raising slogans, demanding the immediate arrest of Naga Muthyam. As the protest was leading to traffic jam, police resorted to mild lathi-charge to disperse the crowd. Later, they shifted the body to hospital for a post-mortem examination. 

Meanwhile, Aswaraopet Circle Inspector Bommera Balakrishna said that they had received a complaint from the relatives of the deceased 18-year-old boy and had begun investigations in the case.