TV journalist found dead in Hyderabad, father alleges harassment

A 40-year-old television journalist was found dead at her residence in Jawahar Nagar, under Chikkadpally police station limits on Friday.

The deceased, Swetcha Votarkar, is survived by her 13-year-old daughter. Her parents reside in Ram Nagar, Musheerabad. Swetcha was reportedly found hanging in her home. The Chikkadpally police have registered a case of suspicious death and are awaiting the post-mortem report from Gandhi Hospital. Officers said that all possible angles are being examined.

While the immediate reason for her death remains unclear, the case took a turn after her father, Shankar Votarkar, levelled grave allegations against one Poornachander Rao, claiming he was responsible for Swetcha’s death.

“Poornachander has been harassing my daughter for the past three years, repeatedly claiming he would marry her,” Shankar alleged. “Though she eventually agreed to the marriage, frequent fights erupted between them. The mental torture she endured because of him drove her to take this step,” he said.

Swetcha’s parents have lodged a formal complaint naming Poornachander Rao as the person responsible for their daughter’s death. Police said the complaint has been taken up and the investigation is ongoing.

Swetcha was also involved in the Telangana movement and wrote poetry. At the time of her death, she was also a member of the Telangana Union of Working Journalists (TUWJ) State Committee.

(Roshini suicide prevention helpline numbers are: 8142020033/44 and 040 66202000/2001.)