Published Sep 17, 2026 | 2:49 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 17, 2026 | 2:49 PM
Sexual harassment. (iStock)
Synopsis: A 21-year-old Dalit woman in Telangana’s Godavarikhani died after allegedly consuming pesticide, with her family accusing a polytechnic lecturer and SCCL supervisor of sustained sexual harassment. Police have registered an FIR for sexual harassment and abetment of suicide. Dalit organisations protested, demanding the invocation of the SC/ST Act against the accused.
The suspected suicide of a 21-year-old Dalit woman, after alleged continuous sexual harassment by two men –a lecturer and a supervisor at her workplace– has triggered protests in Peddapalli district’s Godavarikhani.
The young woman, belonging to the SC Madiga community, died on 13 September while undergoing treatment at a hospital after she allegedly consumed pesticide.
According to the victim’s family, she took her own life after sustained harassment by two men: a polytechnic college lecturer and a supervisor at the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) mine in Godavarikhani. Both men were acquaintances, the family claimed.
The victim was allegedly subjected to sexual harrassment by the SCCL mine supervisor while she worked as an inetrn there. The family alleged that the SCCL’s local management refused to take action against the supervisor despite the woman’s complaint.
The repeated sexual harassment forced the woman to drop out of college, months before the alleged suicide.
The Godavarikhani I Town police have registered an FIR under Section 75 (sexual harassment) and Section 108 (abetment of suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, read with Section 3(5) (common intention), based on a complaint filed by the victim’s father. The investigation is ongoing with Sub-Inspector K Manohar as the investigating officer.
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According to the complaint, the abuse began years ago when Jetti Naveen, a lecturer, tried to coerce the victim into a relationship while she was pursuing a polytechnic diploma at a college in Naspur. The family reportedly raised several objections but the harassment continued. This forced the woman and her family to relocate from Garrepalli to Lenin Nagar in Godavarikhani around three years ago.
The victim completed her polytechnic diploma and obtained a seat to pursue a BTech degree at the prestigious Osmania University College in Hyderabad. In January 2026, during the 2nd year of BTech, she took up a 12-day internship program at SCCL’s 2 Incline mine in Godavarikhani.
The second accused named in the FIR, Bommakanti Ravi Kumar, an overman at the mine, tried to establish a relationship with the victim, claiming he was an alumnus of the same polytechnic college she studied in. He also claimed that he was a student of first accused Naveen.
Ravi Kumar then reportedly subjected the victim to sexual abuse repeatedly, following which she filed a complaint with the authorities. Her family alleged that the general manager at the GDK 2 Incline did little to nothing after the complaint was raised.
Speaking to South First, the victim’s younger brother said, “They said they would conduct an inquiry, but then dismissed it as a false allegation. When pressed further, they asked us to visit the Kothagudem head office and take it up with the management there. But we did not pursue it afterwards.”
The woman dropped out of college in April 2026 and returned to Godavarikhani. She had been staying at the family home since then and worked as a computer operator in Goutami Nagar.
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On 12 September, the victim’s father dropped her off at her workplace in the morning. Around 6 PM, she reportedly called him to say she was at the Godavarikhani bus stand and was headed home.
About an hour later, accused Jetti Naveen allegedly called the woman’s father and informed him that she had consumed pesticide. Before her family members could leave home, Naveen brought her there in his car. Her father said she was foaming at the mouth and was immediately rushed to the Godavarikhani Government Hospital. She remained unconscious while undergoing treatment and died the following day at around 5:30 pm.
Dalit organisations in Godavarkhani, along with the victim’s family, carried her dead body to the Ramagundam Municipal Corporation office and staged a protest there. They demanded an immediate arrest of the accused, invocation of SC ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in the FIR, and a thorough inquiry into the sexual abuse allegations.
(Edited by Fayisa CA)
