Justice for Pravalika: In election season, a girl’s suicide becomes fodder for parties to earn votes

Hyderabad: A death by suicide is always tragic and poses many introspective questions for the people, for the society, and for the self. But it becomes even more tragic if the death is politicized, mud-slinging, blame-game, and character-assassination ensue.

Had there been no elections, perhaps this death would have assumed little or no political importance, as happens in most cases of suicides.

Unfortunately, that is what happened in the case of 23-year-old Marri Pravalika from Warangal, who ended her life at a hostel in Ashok Nagar. Initially, it was claimed that she committed suicide because of frustration as the Telangana State Public Service Commission’s group exams were canceled due to the leakage of question papers.

Huge student protests erupted at Ashoknagar following her death. Congress and BJP took up this issue promptly as an opportunity to blame the state government for her death, for not conducting exams, not recruiting students, and not giving jobs to the youth.

The state police quickly conducted a press conference and said Pravalika ended her life due to personal reasons after coming to know that her boyfriend was getting engaged to another woman. This came to light when her phone conversations were checked.

Pravalika’s mother and brother’s statement over a video

On Tuesday, Pravalika’s mother Vijaya, and brother Pranay shared a video and blamed R Shivaram, the boy about whom the police had earlier spoken in the press conference. “Unable to bear the torture from Shivaram, my daughter took the extreme step. The culprit should be punished,” Pravalika’s mother was heard saying.

She also appealed to the political parties not to involve Pravalika’s family for their political gains since the opposition parties had already blamed the postponement of TSPSC exams for Pravalika’s frustration and subsequent suicide.

Pravalika’s brother added, “We are appealing to the government to arrest Shivaram and give him exemplary punishment for harassing my sister.”

“Who made & edited that video? Why didn’t the family blame the boy before?” asked Congress

However, Sama Ram Mohan Reddy, the official spokesperson of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) refused to buy the words of the girl’s parents as well as the police and pointed out that the whole issue of her suicide was diverted by the ruling party by making another man Shivaram a scapegoat instead of the state government taking the responsibility of her death, for failing to conduct TSPSC exams and provide employment.

“On behalf of Congress, we want to ask ‘Who made the disconnected video and six times edited it, who wrote the script, and who gave the caller mike to the poor mother hailing from a rural area whose words were not flowing smoothly but appeared disjointed?’ Our next set of questions is for the family. ‘Why didn’t the mother or brother or anyone from the family name the boy or blame him after the girl’s death or even during her funeral? If he had been a boyfriend and they had a mutual relationship as per the police statement, then why is this question of torture and harassment by this boy coming up? If the brother was also staying in the same area as the girl, why didn’t he try to protect his sister if he knew she was being harassed by Shivaram? Did they at all know about this boy before? Aren’t the family making a forced statement as directed by party leaders?’

“They are a poor family and the lure of lump sum money and a job for the son will settle it all for the ruling party and it seems that is what has happened. Any layman can also understand that it was not a natural video put up by a mourning mother.”

Before the issue of the family’s statement, Sama Ram Mohan Reddy had said, “This government does not want to take any blame or responsibility before the elections. Many student suicides have taken place due to the government’s apathy towards providing employment. Did the girl mention or blame the boy in her suicide note? Why then are the police determined to destroy the life of a boy based on his chats with Pravalika? Are the police mental health experts to conclude the background and triggers behind Pravalika’s suicide? In this case, the girl’s funeral was expedited by the police and the local MLA.

Also, at a time when the election code of conduct is applicable, why did the DCP police call a press conference suo moto and give statements rather than the state or district election officers? Also, why did the IT minister KTR criticize Rahul Gandhi about the government job issue and say that Pravalika never prepared or attended any competitive exams? It is a blatant lie and we have proof that the girl had attended exams for jobs. Rather, it is the state government, which neither conducts TSPSC examinations on various pretexts nor has provided recruitment or jobs for the youth.”

‘Crashed hopes for jobs led to her suicide,’ say women’s groups

The women's rights groups have also condemned politicizing Pravalika’s death. V Sandhya, national convener of the Progressive Organisation for Women (POW) said, “We strongly condemn the inhuman judgments of ministers, politicians, and police regarding the death of Pravalika. We are deeply aware of the conspiracies and the venom spewing around the death of an innocent girl who believed that the hopes and promises made by the government would come true. Pravalika died at a young age when she could not secure the job that she had hoped for and was taking coaching for the same. She was disappointed due to the successive postponements of the competitive exams.”

Demanding justice and compensation for Pravalika’s family, B Subhadra, State Chief Secretary of POW said, “The police and politicians are distorting the facts and unjustly assassinating the dead girl again and again with their insensitive statements and comments. We condemn the attempts to degrade the character of the victim and agonize her parents. We demand justice and compensation for Pravalika’s family.”

‘Pravalika was mentally tough to withstand relationship issues,’ the boy was made a scapegoat

With Pravalika’s death, the youth also condemned the government’s approach towards women -- a government which spends crores of rupees on schemes for marrying off women but not on her education. A government that is keen to directly transfer money to beneficiaries for welfare schemes but is not bothered about long-term, sustainable empowerment for women. Varsha Bhargavi, a research scholar and director of a gender-sensitization organization ‘Where are the Women?’ pointed out that the suicide showed the tipping point had reached.

“A girl from a very poor, rural background who had battled societal pressures to get married by 18 to 20 years of age and was preparing for competitive exams in the city, was mentally tough. She wanted to be independent and empowered and not give in to domestic drudgery and child-bearing, family-rearing roles early in life. Almost everyone has personal problems or love affairs and break-ups in today’s generation. Under the scenario, it is quite unlikely that Pravalika killed herself just because her friend was getting engaged to someone else, not even married. It might have added to her agony and depression but would not have forced her to commit suicide overnight. Rather, I feel it is the hopelessness, and breaking of her dreams to be independent that took a toll on her mind, which happened due to the postponement and cancellation of the competitive exams. Also, the prima facie evidence does not show that she blamed the boy for her suicide. The boy is being just made a scapegoat by the ruling party to evade their failures to provide jobs, education, and empowerment to youth,” she said.