Condolences, demands for justice pour in after Warangal medico Preethi’s death

Preethi Dharavath (26), a first-year postgraduate student of Kakatiya Medical College in Telanagana’s Warangal, breathed her last on the night of Sunday, February 26. She had been battling for her life for five days at Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), Hyderabad. Following her death, the Telangana government has announced a Rs 10 lakh ex-gratia for her family. Her father D Narendra also told the media that the state Minister for Panchayat Raj E Dayakar Rao has promised Rs 20 lakh to the family and assured them that a member of the family will be given a government job in the Panchayat Raj Department. The Minister also reportedly assured the family that the case will be investigated by a sitting judge.

Preethi attempted suicide on February 22, allegedly following harassment by her senior Mohammad Abdul Saif Ali (27). According to Warangal Police Commissioner AV Ranganath, the management of the College got to know about the harassment only after her father approached the Matwada police. The police then contacted the college on February 20. The next morning, a meeting was called with both Preethi and Saif and their Department Head, during which the authorities spoke to the two of them and issued a warning to Saif. Matwada police arrested Saif on February 24 under section 306 (abetment to suicide) of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Prohibition of Ragging Act and SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Following Preethi’s death, reactions from politicians and netizens have been pouring in, questioning the authorities' negligence that led to the untoward incident and demanding justice for the deceased student.

JanaSena Party chief and actor Pawan Kalyan said in a statement, “My heart melted when I learned about Dr Preethi’s situation … She was unable to bear the harassment from the senior medical student Saif, and this incident caused a lot of agony to her parents. The unfortunate situation could have been prevented if the college had responded soon after her parents’ complaints about Saif’s harassment. Strict action music be taken to punish the guilty.” He further added that the government must take stringent steps to prevent ragging and harassment in colleges, especially in medical and engineering colleges. “Senior students must change their attitude and be friendly with newcomers and treat them like family. They should understand that resorting to harassment and showing supremacy is monstrous,” Pawan Kalyan said.

డాక్టర్ ప్రీతి మరణం అత్యంత బాధాకరం - JanaSena Chief Shri @PawanKalyan pic.twitter.com/MVkSMsjn34

— JanaSena Party (@JanaSenaParty) February 27, 2023

Congress senior leader and Telangana chief A Revanth Reddy said, “The death of medical student Preethi is very sad. If authorities had responded to Preethi upon receiving her complaint, this tragedy would not have happened. The neglect of the system has cost a life. Youth should not lose courage under any circumstances and should fight their problems. May Preethi’s soul rest in peace. My deepest condolences to the family.”

వైద్య విద్యార్థిని ప్రీతి మరణం అత్యంత బాధాకరం.ప్రీతి ఫిర్యాదు పై స్పందించి ఉంటే ఈ ఘోరం జరిగేది కాదు.
వ్యవస్థల నిర్లక్ష్యం ప్రాణాన్ని బలిగొంది.

యువత ఏ పరిస్థితుల్లోనూ ధైర్యాన్ని కోల్పోకుండా సమస్యలపై పోరాడాలి

ప్రీతి ఆత్మకు శాంతి చేకూరాలని ప్రార్థిస్తూ,
కుటుంబానికి ప్రగాఢ సానుభూతి pic.twitter.com/yRhOkKGSUx

— Revanth Reddy (@revanth_anumula) February 27, 2023

Meanwhile, BJP Telangana chief Bandi Sanjay questioned why Chief MinisterK Chandrashekar Rao has not responded to the incident till now. “Is it because she is a tribal student? Will the Rs 10 lakh that you have announced would reduce the pain that Preethi’s mother is going through? Preethi’s incident proves that criminals can do anything if there is Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) and All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) support.” Bandi Sanjay further demanded that the case be investigated by a sitting judge and said that the fight will continue till Preethi gets justice. “It is all of our responsibility to avoid a situation like this in the future,” he added.