BRS MLA Maganti Gopinath’s mother alleges mystery in his death, seeks police probe

Hyderabad: Just hours before the Jubilee Hills by-election, Maganti Mahananda Kumari, the 92-year-old mother of late BRS MLA Maganti Gopinath has demanded a thorough police investigation into what she described as the mysterious circumstances surrounding her son’s death.

Kumari, accompanied by Gopinath’s first wife Malini and their son Tarak, addressed the media on Sunday, a day after filing a formal complaint at the Raidurgam Police Station.

She alleged that negligence, concealment of facts, and denial of access marked her son’s final days at AIG Hospital, Gachibowli.

“I wasn’t told when my son died”

The grieving mother said she was kept in the dark about the exact date and time of Gopinath’s death. “I don’t know whether he passed away on June 6 or June 8,” she told reporters, adding that she was informed of his death only after BRS working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) came out of the hospital.

Kumari said that despite being Gopinath’s mother, she was not allowed to see him even once while he was undergoing treatment.

Denied access at hospital

According to Kumari, hospital security at AIG denied her entry into the ICU based on written instructions signed by one Dishira. “My son served as an MLA three times and earned respect across Hyderabad. But in his final days, I was not even permitted to see him,” she said, breaking down during the media briefing.

She alleged that the hospital’s handling of her son’s condition, the timing of the death declaration, and post-death procedures appeared inconsistent and suspicious.

Family dispute over legal heir status

Kumari also raised objections to the legal heir certificate issued after Gopinath’s death, claiming that it excluded the names of his first wife Malini and their son Tarak. “My son never divorced Malini. Yet her name and my grandson’s name were omitted. This is not about property, this is about identity and justice,” she said.

She further accused KTR of ignoring her repeated pleas for intervention. “I went to KTR several times seeking justice, but he turned me away. He even gave the party ticket to Sunitha without informing us,” Kumari alleged.

Son tarak alleges deception

Gopinath’s son, Tarak, who was abroad at the time of his father’s death, echoed his grandmother’s accusations. “Sunitha told me not to come back to India and said KTR uncle would help me get a job instead,” he said.

He reiterated that his father had not divorced his mother, Malini, and claimed that Sunitha, now the BRS candidate for Jubilee Hills, was only in a live-in relationship with Gopinath.

Complaint filed, probe sought

In her written complaint to the Raidurgam Police, Kumari demanded a detailed investigation into the hospital’s conduct, the sequence of events leading to Gopinath’s death, and the alleged obstruction of family access.

She urged the authorities to bring out the truth and take action against those responsible for what she termed a “cruel betrayal of a mother’s right.”

As the controversy deepens ahead of the by-election, the allegations have cast a shadow over the BRS camp and intensified scrutiny of the party’s internal decisions following Gopinath’s demise, political experts opined.