Pravalika Suicide: Accused Surrenders Before Court, Arrested Later Amid Political Slugfest Over Jobs – News18

The highly politicised suicide of a student in Telangana took a new turn on Friday as the accused in the case, Shivaram Rathod, surrendered before Nampally court. His plea was, however, rejected by the court as they could not find a prima facie case against him. He was then arrested by police for further questioning.

The suicide of Pravalika, 23, a week ago saw spontaneous protests at Ashoknagar in the city. Though she did not mention the reason for taking the step in the purported suicide note, her friends had informed that it may have been due to the repeated cancellation of the TSPSC exam.

A new twist was added the next day when the police officer in charge of the case said after examining her WhatsApp conversations, it had become clear that the student had killed herself because her boyfriend chose another woman.

A case was registered against Rathod for abetting her suicide. Interestingly, the officer was suspended the next day for his inability to handle the case properly.

In the meantime, the Opposition, especially the Congress, blamed the BRS government for the woman’s death that struck a chord with the youth as unemployment has been a burning issue in the state for a while.

The TSPSC Group 1 exam was cancelled twice — once due to paper leak and another time due to flouting of exam protocols. The Group 2 exam was cancelled due to the upcoming elections. This series of events has left the candidates frustrated. Many of them come from rural areas to stay in Hyderabad for months and prepare for the exams.

Meanwhile, seeing the uproar over the death, the BRS went into damage-control mode. The party released videos of Pravalika’s mother and brother where they were seen asking for justice and the arrest of Rathod. In a previous statement, however, the mother had said the rumours of her daughter’s relationship troubles were being concocted to malign her character.

In a media interaction, BRS working president K Taraka Rama Rao claimed that the deceased had not applied for the exams. He also promised a job for her brother. The Congress has claimed that the BRS moved Pravalika’s family from Warangal so that Rahul Gandhi could not meet them during his three-day bus yatra here. Earlier, Gandhi had expressed anguish at the youngster’s death.

Two days ago, Rathod’s father wrote to the State Human Rights Commission, alleging that his son was being made a scapegoat in a political drama. He added that his son was innocent and was being harassed by the police.

As new developments unfold, it is expected that the case will be dissected further in the election-bound state. This young state was formed with the promises of ‘Nidhulu, Neelu, Niayamakalu’ (funds, water and jobs). The Opposition is taking advantage of every opportunity to remind the BRS that unemployed youth are killing themselves after 10 years of formation of the state.

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