Telangana: Dalit youth dies by 'suicide' alleging insult by hospital staff, assault by police

ADILABAD: A Dalit youth allegedly died by suicide in this district accusing police and hospital staff of insulting him after he went seeking medical treatment for scorpion bite, with the police refuting his claim that they beat him up.

The opposition BJP and BRS demanded justice to the family, including payment of ex-gratia.

According to police, Kamble Rahul (27), who was bitten by a scorpion on the evening of August 28, went to the state-run RIMS hospital for treatment where he started filming a video alleging negligence. This led to an argument with a doctor who called the police.

Police took him to a station and handed him over to his father. Later, he committed suicide by hanging at his residence, police said on Friday.

In a purported suicide note, he alleged that the doctor rebuked him and police beat him up, they said.

Police registered a case regarding the incident and began an investigation.

Police claimed there was no truth to the allegation that the deceased was beaten up at the police station, saying video proof was available in this connection.

Protesting the incident, Dalit organisations staged a dharna at the hospital on Thursday demanding justice for the deceased's family.

Observing that Rahul was the family's bread-winner, BJP MLA Payal Shankar demanded a time-bound inquiry into the incident and a job to a family member.

He found fault with hospital staff complaining to police against Rahul and the police for allegedly harassing him.

Speaking to reporters, Shankar demanded an ex-gratia of Rs 50 lakh for the family and an inquiry into the incident by a high-level committee.