Andhra Pradesh   

Housewife commits suicide; SI, cops face villagers' ire

By Our Staff Reporter

ONGOLE, JUNE 29. The situation in Pullalacheruvu mandal headquarters in Prakasam district where a 25-year-old housewife, Pushpakumari, immolated herself on Monday evening due to alleged harassment of the local Sub-Inspector, B. Ramesh Babu, is tense with an irate mob attacking the SI's house and staging dharna in front of the police station.

About 400 persons descended on the SI's house, brought out furniture and other valuables and set them on fire.

They also attacked the house of Srinivas Rao, an RMP doctor, as his wife, Ramadevi, had allegedly helped the SI harass Pushpakumari. The irate villagers vandalised the house of constable, Dasu, for his alleged involvement in the case right in the presence of senior police officers. Mrs. Ramadevi and Dr. Srinivas Rao are in police custody.

The dharna was continuing till reports last came in. The Progressive Organisation of Women leaders -- Bharati, Manjula and Padma -- and the Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Council vice-president, Gandla Venkat Rao, led the agitation. They prevented the police from removing the body of Pushpakumari from the police station premises demanding that the SI be produced before them.

SI arrested

Efforts of the police to pacify the villagers came a cropper even when the police told them that the SI had been arrested. The Darsi Deputy SP, K. Ram Mohan Rao, who has been appointed investigation officer in the case, arrested the SI at Yerragondapalem at 6 p.m. The accused Inspector would be produced before court on Wednesday. A case under Sections 509 and 306 of the IPC was registered against the SI, sources said.

Quoting the accused person, the police said the SI's wife, Nagarajakumari, who was away in Ponnuru of Guntur district attempted to end her life this morning. She was out of danger and shifted to a hospital in Vijayawada.

Pushpakumari doused herself with kerosene and set herself ablaze at her house around 4.30 p.m. on Monday. She suffered 90 per cent burns and was admitted to Dr. Ravindra Hospital in Yerragondapalem where she died in the wee hours of Tuesday. Belonging to Eedara in Krishna district, Pushpakumari, her husband, Krishna, and his mother, Mythili Devi, migrated to Pullalalacheruvu in search of work in 2001.

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