Telangana: K Kavitha expresses shock over infant's death in alleged caste clash at Kummera Jathara

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], February 22 (ANI): Telangana Jagruthi President Kalvakuntla Kavitha expressed deep concern over the death of an infant following an alleged caste-driven attack on a family at the Kummera Mallanna Jathara in the State's Nagarkurnool district.
She stated that it was extremely tragic that the two-month-old lost its life in an attack on February 18, in which a couple-Chakali Ganesh and Chilikeshwaram Mounika- who had gone to attend the fair with their infant, the baby's grandmother and aunt.
Kavitha said she had spoken over the phone with the baby's mother and other family members and offered her condolences and support. During the conversation, the victims alleged that the police were trying to protect the accused by filing only minor cases instead of taking strong action.
Subsequently, Kavitha said she spoke with the Nagarkurnool Superintendent of Police (SP) and urged strict action against those responsible for the attack on the family that led to the infant's death at the Kummera Jathara. The SP assured her that justice would be delivered to the victims, the former BRS leader said.
On February 18, multiple violent altercations, stone-pelting, and caste-based abuses during a local village fair ultimately culminated in the tragic death of a two-month-old infant, according to an official press release by Nagarkurnool police on X, detailing the incidents in Kummera village.
Releasing the sequence of events, the Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of the Nagarkurnool Division said a clash at the Kummera 'Jatara' (village fair) escalated into a tragedy, prompting cross-complaints from two local groups.
According to the official statement, the incident happened on February 18.
A resident, Chakali Ganesh, alleged that a group of men from his village--identified as Srinu, S. Madhu, Satish Reddy, Pavan, Kanni, Srikanth Reddy, and Naresh--physically assaulted him and hurled filthy abuses at his family members.
The situation rapidly deteriorated the same evening when at 8:30 pm, another resident, Undyala Srinivas Reddy, reported that Ganesh along with individuals named Ashirvadam, Keerthi, Chandrakala, and Gouramma, "resorted to a physical attack on him with stones."
A few days later on February 21, according to the police statement, Chakali Ganesh's wife, Chilikeshwaram Mounika, approached the police alleging that her two-month-old daughter had passed away as a direct consequence of the physical assault carried out by the rival villagers on her family during the February 18 Jatara.
Following a protest outside the Nagarkurnool Government Hospital, the SDPO stated that Mounika filed a further complaint detailing the exact nature of the initial attack.
"She alleged that an attack was carried out with the intention to kill her and her family members, that they were abused using their caste name, and that her daughter died as a direct result of this very attack," the press release noted.
Following the sequence of these violent events at the village fair, police have registered multiple FIRs. (ANI)