Nine-year-old Ch Shailaja died while undergoing treatment for food poisoning at Wankidi Tribal Residential School
Tension erupted in the Wankidi mandal following the death of nine-year-old Ch Shailaja, a student of the Wankidi Tribal Residential School. On Tuesday at around 4 am, her body was brought in an ambulance to her native village, Dhaba. Upon reaching the village, local villagers crowded around the ambulance and raised slogans. They sat in front of the ambulance, declaring that they would not end the protest until their demands were met.
MLC Dande Vithal, District Congress Committee president Vishwa Prasad, and others reached the village and tried to pacify the distraught family members and the agitating villagers, assuring that their demands would be resolved after speaking to Minister Sitaakka. Despite these attempts, the villagers remained unrelenting.
Meanwhile, Sirpur MLA Palvai Harish Babu slipped through the police cordon, made his way to the family’s home and sat in front of the house with the deceased’s body. He demanded that the Collector grant ex gratia of Rs 50 lakh to the girl’s family and led protests with slogans against the Collector. After the MLA left, police took student union leaders into custody who were continuing the protest.
At the same time, MLC Dande Vithal provided immediate assistance by offering Rs 1.2 lakh and promised to ensure that two acres of land and a job for a family member, besides a house under the Indiramma scheme is provided. In the late afternoon, Shailaja’s last rites were performed amid tension.
Meanwhile, the police imposed restrictions to prevent media representatives from entering the village.
Due to fears of potential riots similar to the ones in Jainoor, police authorities took preventive measures and imposed restrictions on all routes leading to Dhaba village, including the areas around the Wankidi Tribal School. Both the media and the general public were not allowed to pass through. District SP DV Srinivasa Rao and Adilabad SP Gaus Alam supervised the police arrangements.
Meanwhile, MLA Kova Lakshmi was placed under house arrest after she was stopped on the way to Dhaba village to console the grieving family members.
