Infant’s death after alleged caste abuse triggers unrest in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool

The death of a two-month-old infant following an alleged temple altercation and caste abuse claims triggered unrest in Kummera village of Nagarkurnool district, with protests by BC groups even as police registered a suspicious death case and began an inquiry

Nagarkurnool: The death of a two-month-old baby and allegations of caste discrimination against a family triggered unrest in Kummera village of Nagarkurnool district on Saturday, days after an alleged altercation at a temple.

Although the incident occurred on Wednesday, tensions escalated after the infant, who was hospitalised following the episode, died in the early hours of Saturday. One of the accused is allegedly associated with the Congress party, adding a political dimension to the incident.

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According to the complaint lodged with the Nagarkurnool police, C Chandrakala, along with her son, two daughters and the infant, had visited the Kummera Mallikarjuna Swamy temple for darshan on Wednesday. The family belongs to the BC washermen community. She alleged that trouble began when one person she identified as U Srinivas Reddy abused them in the name of caste and demanded that they purchase a Rs 100 ticket for darshan.

“He made derogatory comments and abused us. He also physically assaulted me and my family members in public view,” Chandrakala said, adding that when her son Ganesh intervened to protect her, he was pushed to the ground. She further alleged that Srinivas Reddy, along with S Madhu, Srikanth Reddy, Satish Reddy, P Pavan, Naresh, Kuphender Reddy and others, attempted to attack Ganesh using a coconut husk remover. Ganesh managed to escape, and during the altercation, Srinivas Reddy reportedly sustained an injury after falling against a coconut storeroom wall.

“Angered by this, he caught me and my son and assaulted us. He took away my earrings and bangles and threatened to kill us if we stay in Kummera,” Chandrakala alleged, adding that they were also threatened with demolition of their house using earthmovers.

“Despite appealing him to spare my daughter-in-law, daughter and the baby, they did not relent. Madhu kicked the baby,” Chandrakala alleged, urging the Nagarkurnool SI to initiate stern action against those involved. Following the incident, the infant was admitted to the Government General Hospital in Nagarkurnool, where he died on Saturday.

Condemning the incident, BC organisations staged a protest in front of the hospital demanding justice and action against the accused.

Meanwhile, Kummera Sarpanch Thukaram Reddy claimed that a complaint was also filed against Chandrakala’s family, stating that Srinivas Reddy had slapped Ganesh and was later attacked with stones, resulting in severe head injuries. “All the allegations being made by Chandrakala and her family are false. There is no entry ticket for darshan at the temple. We demand a thorough inquiry into the entire incident,” Thukaram Reddy said.

“There was no mention about baby being attacked in the incident. Had that been the case, we would have arranged treatment immediately. All of a sudden, the family is now alleging that the baby died after being kicked,” he added.

Nagarkurnool SI Govardhan said a case of suspicious death had been registered and confirmed that complaints were filed by both parties. He said the postmortem examination would determine whether the infant had suffered external or internal injuries, and appropriate action would be taken based on the findings.