Woman who accused MLA of harassment attempts suicide

In her suicide note, the woman alleged that the police had failed to accept her complaint against the ruling party MLA, while the MPs, who had promised to ensure justice for her, had also failed

Hyderabad: A 30-year-old woman entrepreneur, who accused Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) lawmaker Durgam Chinnaiah of sexual harassment, has allegedly tried to commit suicide for the second time, accusing the state government of inaction in the matter, police said on Friday.

Stating that she was forcibly discharged from the hospital, the woman said she would continue her fight till she gets justice. (HT Photo)

The woman made the alleged attempt to take the extreme step near a temple in Hyderabad on Thursday, an officer familiar with the matter said.

Earlier, on June 5, the woman tried to commit suicide over the allegations by consuming poison at the Telangana Bhavan in New Delhi, but the police thwarted her attempt.

The woman, director of a private dairy in Bellampalli, was discharged from the hospital on Friday morning, and told reporters that she took the extreme step because the government was being “indifferent” to her repeated pleas for action against the MLA who represents Bellampalli assembly constituency.

“Though I have submitted enough evidence to the police to prove my allegations against the MLA, no action has been taken so far. What hurt me terribly was the statement of BRS working president K T Rama Rao giving a clean chit to the MLA,” she said.

Stating that she was forcibly discharged from the hospital, the woman said she would continue her fight till she gets justice.

The woman was found in an unconscious state at Peddamma Temple in Jubilee Hills, and was admitted to a local hospital by the police. “We recovered some sleeping pills in her bag along with a suicide note. We suspect that she might have attempted suicide,” a police officer of Jubilee Hills police station said.

In her suicide note, the woman alleged that the police had failed to accept her complaint against the ruling party MLA, while the MPs, who had promised to ensure justice for her, had also failed. “She alleged that she was receiving threats from some people for lodging a complaint against the MLA and hence, she wanted to die peacefully in the Peddamma temple,” police said, quoting the suicide note.

In March this year, the woman alleged that Chinnaiah sought sexual favours from her, when she went to him to seek a favour for allotment of land to her company in Bellampalli.

On June 6, the woman lodged a complaint with the National Commission for Women (NCW), alleging that the BRS MLA was harassing her sexually and the Telangana state police had failed to accept her complaint. The NCW referred the letter to Telangana DGP Anjani Kumar, seeking a report after due enquiry.

The MLA, however, has refuted the charges as attempts to “tarnish his political image”

“The woman and her associates made the charges only to cover up their misdeeds. They duped gullible farmers on the pretext of setting up a dairy by collecting 30 percent of the amount on the cost of a unit. When I tried to resolve the issue, she started making wild allegations against me,” he said.