Published Jun 25, 2026 | 8:45 AM ⚊ Updated Jun 25, 2026 | 8:45 AM
Perupogu Kranthi Kumar died by suicide allegedly due to harrassment by police. (Credit: Perupogu Venkateswara Rao)
Synopsis: Perupogu Kranthi Kumar, a 42-year-old Dalit man from Vijayawada, died by suicide on 21 May. In his reported dying declaration, he accused the now-arrested and suspended Krishna Lanka circle inspector Nagaraju of custodial violence and harassment. Kranthi’s father, Venkateswara Rao, compared his son’s case with that of Gada Sai Krishna and asked whether the police inaction was due to his son’s caste.
There seems to be more trouble for Suda Suresh Veera Venkata Nagaraju, the former circle inspector of Andhra Pradesh police, arrested in the Gada Sai Krishna custodial death case.
The president of the Andhra Pradesh Madiga Reservation Porata Samiti (MRPS), Perupogu Venkateswara Rao, has alleged that Nagaraju was responsible for his son’s death by suicide in May — the same month Sai Krishna was detained by the Krishna Lanka police and went “missing”.
Speaking to South First on Wednesday, 24 June, after a chilling video, purportedly of his deceased 42-year-old son Perupogu Kranthi Kumar had gone viral, Rao said no action had been taken on his complaint, despite senior police officers promising an investigation.
Rao said Kranthi drove a taxi in Vijayawada for a living. Though he had been involved in criminal cases earlier, he later mended his ways and had been focusing on the well-being of his family, comprising his wife and three children, the older man claimed.
Related: “Show me my son or his ashes”: A mother’s plea
Recalling the events before Kranthi’s death, Rao said police personnel from the Krishna Lanka station visited the former’s residence early on 21 May.
SSVV Nagaraju.
The activist said his son and family were living next to his house at Pakeergudem, some 5 km from the police station.
Kranthi was severely tense when the police arrived, Rao said. The police reportedly told his mother that Circle Inspector Nagaraju — now suspended from service and arrested — had summoned him.
The taxi driver asked his mother to inform the police that he was away.
“They will kill me if I go to the station,” he reportedly told his mother. The police soon left without Kranthi.
Around 11 am that day, Kranthi consumed a granular pesticide. He died under treatment later that night. The Krishna Lanka police registered a case of unnatural death on 22 May, Rao said.
Related: SIT arrests suspended CI Nagaraju in Sai Krishna custodial death case
The man’s death by suicide baffled Rao and his family. The motive was unclear until they checked his phone. The deceased had recorded a video on his mobile before he fell unconscious in his room on 21 May.
Kranthi was in tears in the video. The man declared that the reason for his taking the extreme step was Nagaraju.
“It was my fault for being born a Madiga. They have been hunting and harassing me. They have been beating me for three months now. I don’t think I can live anymore. The reason for my death is Krishna Lanka CI Nagaraju,” the man in the video said.
The disturbing video also showed him ingesting the pesticide.
Until he saw the video, Rao was unaware of his son’s trauma that pushed him over the brink.
“They are saying he was a criminal. He wasn’t. Not anymore. They refused to close the rowdy sheet and continued to torment him,” he told South First.
A report said at least 10 cases were registered against Kranthi at Krishna Lanka and Vijayawada III Town police stations over the past six years.
The cases pertained to ganja peddling, intimidation and coercion. The police reportedly wanted to question Kranthi to know the source of the illegal substance.
Rao alleged that Nagaraju and his officers used former history-sheeters and petty criminals to do their “dirty work”. He accused Nagaraju of harassing Kranthi for three months before his death, a claim Kranthi had made in his dying declaration.
“The police uniform is just a cover. Criminals are hiding behind it. They use these young men to settle deals and personal conflicts. When they declined, the police subjected them to third-degree treatment,” Rao alleged.
Related: What remand report in ‘deceased’ Gade Sai Krishna case says
Rao alleged that the police had not supported the family so far. He said that the family met Deputy Commissioner of Police (NTR district) KGV Saritha on 8 June. They were promised that an assistant commissioner would conduct a preliminary investigation and that an FIR would follow.
No action was taken despite the assurance, he said.
On 18 June, Kranthi’s video went viral following the uproar over Gade Sai Krishna’s disappearance.
“We did not share it (the video) with anyone. We found out that Kranthi had sent it to his friends,” Rao stated.
Rao, along with members of MRPS and other Dalit leaders, met Police Commissioner Rajasekhara Babu on 22 June and demanded a probe. The officer assured that an FIR would be filed after preliminary investigation.
The family had received the same promise earlier.
“No police official has come forward to help us so far. The officials investigating Sai Krishna’s disappearance have not contacted us,” Rao said, referring to the Special Investigation Team.
MRPS has now demanded that the police register a case against Nagaraju under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, besides invoking relevant BNS sections. It called for a fast-track court to look into the matter, and also demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), if necessary.
The Opposition YSRCP, too, has called for a CBI probe.
Also Read: Manda Krishna Madiga trains guns on Pawan Kalyan
Rao expressed grief over the state’s response to the injustice committed against his family. He pointed to the public outrage that helped the case of Sai Krishna, a Kapu.
Gade Sai Krishna
(Credit: @revathitweets on X)
“Is it because the Kapus are an influential community? I know they helped the coalition government come to power in Andhra Pradesh. Is that why their suffering is prioritised? If that’s the case, Madigas have always supported the Telugu Desam Party. I, along with 15 other Madiga groups, had travelled across the state, campaigning for the TDP. We were also there when their party office was attacked,” Rao said.
“Why don’t the chief minister and the deputy chief minister speak for us? Is it because we are Dalits? It must be. We are being discriminated against because we are Madigas,” he alleged.
KS Jawahar, chairman of the Andhra Pradesh Scheduled Caste Commission, visited the MRPS office and promised an investigation in two days.
Rao said that the MRPS would organise statewide protests if no action was initiated.
(Edited by Majnu Babu)
