The death of 26-year-old medical student Dr Preethi Dharavath, who belonged to the Lambada community (Scheduled Tribes), in Telangana’s Warangal, has sparked public outrage. Preethi, who died on the night of Sunday, February 26, was a first year postgraduate student in the Anaesthesia Department of Kakatiya Medical College (KMC) in Warangal. She attempted suicide due to alleged harassment by her senior Mohammad Abdul Saif Ali (27). While the police have called her a victim of ragging, activists from the community have termed the suicide a ‘caste-based’ crime and demanded safeguards against such discrimination, particularly those prevailing in the medical field.
Sharath Naik, state president of Girijana Shakthi, an organisation for the welfare of Scheduled Tribes, held a protest at NIMS Hyderabad, where Preethi breathed her last, along with other political parties. Speaking to TNM, he alleged that Preethi was harassed because of her caste. He said, “The WhatsApp messages clearly reveal that Preethi was viewed as inferior. The accused Saif used to tell others not to cooperate with her because of her reservation. The police have rightly registered a case under the SC/ST Atrocity Act on Saif.” Sharath also spoke on how it is difficult for women from marginalised communities to pursue their dreams, “How will the parents of girls from the marginalised communities support their child’s dreams and careers when such incidents happen?” He demanded that KMC principal Dr Divvela Mohandas and the head of the Anesthesia Department Dr Niranjan Reddy be termed as accused in the case and alleged that they did not take timely action to prevent the incident.
Sharath pointed to the insensitivity in technical education and said, “Students are not taught about society and the problems that exist in the real world like caste, particularly in medical education. There is a lot of pressure from professors, and senior students to follow in their path. It is high time to implement a comprehensive sensitivity course taught periodically by experts like lawyers, counsellors, and sociologists.”
Warangal Police Commissioner AV Ranganath told TNM, “We have booked Saif under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. As he knew her caste from her name and was clearly aware of it, he may have harassed her based on her caste.” The Commissioner added, “At this stage of the investigation, we do not find anything against KMC’s principal or the head of the Anaesthesia Department. They called Dr Saif and Dr Preethi and spoke about the issues between them. He was sent back with a warning. Preethi died by suicide before the investigation was completed.” He also stated that the management will be held accountable if it is found that they did nothing about the harassment despite being aware of it.