In his suicide note, Damodhar Rao named YSRCP MLA Kiran Kumar and Lankapalle Gopi as the reasons for his death.
Published Dec 30, 2023 | 8:03 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 30, 2023 | 10:37 PM
Gurija Damodara Rao, a Sakshi Media reporter from Srikakulam. (Supplied)
A 45-year-old reporter named Gurija Dhamodhar Rao, who worked with Sakshi Media and resided in the Etcherla constituency of Srikakulam district, was found dead on Thursday, 28 December, two days after he went missing from his home.
His body was discovered in a farm located 2 km away from his home village of Lavetipalem.
Sakshi Media, established by YSRCP chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan in 2008, is the media outlet for which Dhamodhar Rao had been working since its inception until the day he went missing.
In an shocking turn of events, a suicide note was discovered, stating, “YSRCP MLA Kiran Kumar and Lankapalle Gopi are the reasons for my death. They have troubled me in all ways. Due to the stress, I am committing suicide. Don’t leave them.”
Despite the presence of a suicide note and the discovery of the deceased body, the police have reportedly not yet converted the missing person FIR to a case of death.
Dhamodhar Rao’s younger brother, Srinivas Rao, informed South First, “Dhamodhar went missing on 26 December around 3:30 pm, and his mobile was switched off. Despite our family’s search efforts, there was no trace of him till the next day, leading us to file a complaint on 27 December at 6:00 pm.”
He added, “The next day, around 12:30 pm, I received information about Dhamodhar’s body being found in a nearby farm, approximately 2 km from our residence. He was found dead having consumed pesticide and a suicide note was found in his pocket, explicitly accusing the local MLA and his follower.”
A suicide note found at spot. (Supplied)
“Over the past six months, Dhamodhar had been facing challenges and although we suspected psychological issues, consultations with various neurologists, including a recent one at Home Hospitals in Visakhapatnam with Dr Rohit, revealed only severe stress. Dhamodhar had not disclosed the reason for the stress to anyone,” Srinivas said.
“Despite his dedicated work for the MLA’s victory day and night, we never thought this would happen. During the 2019 elections, Damodhar prioritised working for the MLA even when our father was hospitalised,” he said.
Not just the family, local journalists, too, are perplexed about where things went wrong. “He was not only a local Sakshi reporter but also a YSRCP supporter. For the past six months, Dhamodhar seemed to be suffering with psychological issues,” at least three local reporters who worked with Dhamodhar told South First, on condition of anonymity.
However, MLA Kiran Kumar Gorle, one of the people named in the suicide note, denied any connection to Dhamodhar’s death in a press meet organised on 29 December in the party office in Ranastalam. He labelled the accusations as a conspiracy by the Opposition party.
He suggested that the local police investigate the case using call records, questioning why he would harm someone who worked for the party and his victory.
Sub-Inspector (SI) of JR Puram Police Station, G Rajesh, informed South First, “Upon receiving information, we visited the spot, collected evidence, and observed a pesticide bottle next to the deceased in a soft drink bottle.
Additionally, a suicide note accusing the MLA was found, which will be sent to a handwriting expert in the forensic lab in Vijayawada after obtaining original samples.”
When questioned about the FIR filing and inclusion of the MLA’s name based on the suicide letter, the SI stated, “The case is under investigation. The postmortem report is expected in 10 days and the forensic handwriting analysis will likely take around a month. The initial missing persons FIR, filed on 27 December, with complaint number 361/2023, will be converted to Section 306 of the IPC only after receiving these reports.”
Missing person FIR filed on 27 December before death. (Supplied)
In response to the absence of a registered case, Advocate P Badrinath, a practicing advocate in the Andhra Pradesh High Court, told South First, “The police need not wait for the handwriting expert’s opinion. The police could have converted the missing person FIR to IPC Section 306, dealing with abetment of suicide, especially since the accused’s name is evident in the suicide letter.”
The advocate further emphasised that whether the accused is guilty or not is subject to investigation and trial.
Referring to a recent Karnataka High Court judgement (Hanamantraya v State, 2023 SCC OnLine Kar 72), Advocate Badrinath highlighted, “Naming a person in a suicide note doesn’t immediately make them the offender under Section 306 of the IPC. The contents of the suicide note and other circumstances must be examined to determine if it constitutes abetment under Section 306 r/w Section 107 of IPC.”
He concluded, “So, the police could have opted to alter the FIR and include the accused for a more in-depth investigation, preventing potential influence on the handwriting report in favour of the accused.”
