MRPS Protestor Dies At Hyderabad Collectorate

An MRPS woman activist identified as S Bharathi, who was among a group of protestors participating in a demonstration at the Hyderabad Collectorate demanding categorization of Schedule Castes, collapsed and was declared dead on arrival at the Osmania Hospital on Monday.

The Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi had announced a "Collectorate Muttadi" (siege of Collectorates) across AP and Telangana today, and as part of that about 100 MRPS activists were demonstrating at the Hyderabad Collectorate.

As the tragic news reached the Assembly during Zero Hour, the House immediately took up a discussion on the issue by postponing the short discussion on Purification and Updation of Land Records.

Describing the death of the woman protestor as most unfortunate, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao said his government would send a request signed by all Opposition leaders for an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue of SC reservation categorization to the Centre.

The Chief Minister also announced Rs 25 lakhs in ex gratia to the kin of the deceased. He also said the government would also provide a job to any one of her adult children if any, or pick up the costs of educating the children until post-graduation.

The deceased was operating a tea stall near Yashoda Hospital in Secunderabad, and lived in a slum near the Jubilee Bus Stand with her husband and daughter. She was among the MRPS protestors who gathered near the Collectorate at about 1 pm and raised slogans. About half an hour later, she fell unconscious. She was rushed to the Osmania General Hospital where doctors declared she was brought dead.

Earlier, Congress Legislature Party leader K Jana Reddy informed the House about the death of Bharathi and alleged that she had died due to a lathi charge. He also demanded that the state government make a statement on the issue.

After Akbaruddin Owaisi completed his speech as part of the short discussion, Finance Minister Etela Rajender said the deceased had died due to fits and not because of a lathi charge. Later, when the Speaker asked BJLP leader G Kishan Reddy to speak on the Purification And Updation Of Land Records, Reddy urged the Speaker to adjourn the House for the day or at least for half-an-hour in view of the death.

The Congress and other Opposition leaders, too, urged the Speaker to adjourn the House for half-an-hour, and also demanded that the government make a statement on the incident.

At this juncture, the Home Minister said that the government would make a statement within a few minutes. The Speaker asked the Opposition leaders to continue the business as the government was ready to make a statement. But the Opposition leaders stuck to their guns, and the Speaker adjourned the House for 15 minutes.

After the House reassembled, the Chief Minister made a statement on the MRPS activist's death. Later, the Opposition leaders, including Jana Reddy (Congress), Kishan Reddy (BJP), Pasha Quadri (MIM), Sandra Venkata Veeraiah (TTDP) and Sunnam Rajaiah (CPM) urged the Speaker to adjourn the House to Tuesday as it was not proper for the House to continue its business given what happened. The Chief Minister, too, agreed to the suggestion, and the Speaker then adjourned the House to Tuesday.