Amaravati, (Samajweekly) Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president and Andhra Pradesh’s principal opposition leader, N. Chandrababu Naidu, on Wednesday demanded a Central Bureau Investigation (CBI) probe into the Kurnool family suicide case.
“A special court should be formed to deal with the Nandyal suicide case. The officials responsible for this joint family suicide should be dismissed from service,” said Naidu.
He alleged that the ruling YSRCP government’s harassment had driven Abdul Salaam’s family to take the extreme step.
“It was only because of the non-stop harassment in the name of a robbery case in a jewellery shop that drove Salaam and his wife and two children to end their lives by jumping before a goods train,” Naidu said.
According to the TDP supremo, Salaam had no other choice as he was humiliated and persecuted even while eking out a living driving an auto-rickshaw.
“The joint suicide of the whole family was a reflection of the peak to which the YSRCP atrocities have reached in the state,” said Naidu, while addressing a meeting of 25 party leaders from the Lok Sabha constituencies.
Citing the alleged molestation attempt on a 10-year-old girl in Bommuru, Naidu said her whole family was threatened to withdraw the case, which eventually led to the girl’s father Abdul Sattar attempting suicide in front of the Rajamundry superintendent of police’s office.
“An anganwadi worker was subjected to humiliation in Kadapa. A Dalit youth in Punganur was driven to commit suicide just for putting a video on social media about the harmful cheap liquor brands being sold in the government liquor shops. Twelve persons gang-raped a 17-year-old minor girl in Rajahmundry,” he said.
He claimed that the southern state has never seen so many suicides, gang-rapes, murders, tonsurings and other criminal acts.
The former Chief Minister claimed countless false cases, arrests, house arrests and harassments were occurring in Andhra, unlike any other regime in the past.
He asked all TDP leaders to hold protest rallies and candle light demonstrations across the state in the next three days.
Naidu also called for special prayers for Salaam’s family, candles to be lit in front of houses on Thursday evening and special prayers in mosques on Friday.
On Sunday, circle inspector Somasekhar Reddy and head constable Gangadhar were arrested for abetment to suicide of Salam (45), his wife Noorjahan (43), son Dada Khalandar (9) and daughter Salma (14).
The four committed suicide last Wednesday due to alleged police harassment.
The policemen immediately got bail but the state government has filed a bail cancellation petition.
Home Minister Mekathoti Sucharita stressed the need for friendly-policing and said the guilty will not be spared.
She announced an ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakh to the lone survivor of the family.
The Salaam family suicide has taken a political colour in the southern state with the incumbent YSRCP and TDP trading barbs against each other.
