KTR blames govt. for sanitation worker’s death at Mulugu, demands aid

HYDERABAD

Working president of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) K.T. Rama Rao blamed the Congress government in the State for the death of a sanitation worker of Mulugu Municipality and demanded that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Minister D. Seethakka take moral responsibility and announce ₹50 lakh ex gratia to the bereaved family.

Expressing deep anguish over the death of sanitation worker M. Mahesh in Mulugu, who allegedly consumed pesticide after not receiving his pending wages for the last several months, Mr. Rama Rao on Sunday described the incident as a ‘government-sponsored murder’. He requested the government to provide a job to Mahesh’s widow too.

Mr. Rama Rao spoke to the bereaved family on phone and instructed BRS leader Y. Satish Reddy to call on the bereaved family at Madhavaraopally. Speaking to Mr. Rama Rao, Mahesh’s mother alleged that her son had not received wages for the last six months and had struggled to feed his wife and four daughters. She broke down narrating how Mahesh, unable to bear the humiliation of repeatedly begging for his dues, consumed pesticide provided by the municipality for cremation work.

Mr. Rama Rao assured full support from the BRS and promised financial aid in the names of Mahesh’s daughters. Mahesh’s niece Jyothi alleged that certain individuals had forced Mahesh to record a video before his death, falsely stating that he had consumed pesticide by mistake. She maintained that it was the non-payment of salaries that drove him to take the extreme step.