Hyderabad: A fresh postmortem examination was conducted on Friday, February 27, on the body of Dalit youth Karla Rajesh, who died in alleged police custody in Kodad of Suryapet district, Telangana, following directions from the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC).
A medical team from the All-India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), New Delhi, carried out the re-postmortem under tight police security. The exercise comes amid mounting political pressure and allegations of custodial torture raised by the victim’s family and opposition leaders.
Arrest and custody
Rajesh, who worked at a local petrol bunk, was taken into custody by the Chilkur police in early November 2025 in connection with an investigation into the alleged misappropriation of the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund money.
According to the police, the prime accused in the case had allegedly used Rajesh’s bank account to divert funds illegally. Police claimed that Rajesh withdrew the money and handed it over to the main accused.
During the course of the investigation, Rajesh was allegedly questioned and detained between November 4 and 8, 2025. His family later alleged that he was subjected to harassment and torture in custody by Kodad Inspector Pratap Lingaiah and Sub-Inspector Suresh Reddy.
Death in judicial remand
After being remanded to judicial custody, Rajesh reportedly complained of breathing problems six days into his remand period. Jail authorities shifted him to a hospital, where he later died.
His death triggered protests by family members and several organisations, who termed it a clear case of custodial violence and demanded action against the police officials involved.
Departmental action and criminal cases
In mid-December, nearly three weeks after the incident came to light, Inspector Pratap Lingaiah was suspended, and SI Suresh Reddy was attached to the headquarters.
On December 22, criminal cases were registered against both officials. The development, however, remained under wraps until it surfaced later. Two separate cases were filed — one based on a complaint by jail authorities due to the custodial death, and another based on a petition by Rajesh’s family alleging torture and violations under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
A senior Suryapet district police officer stated that cases were registered as per procedure after receiving petitions and that the allegations would be verified during the course of the investigation.
KTR alleges government shielding officials
On Thursday, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President K.T. Rama Rao visited Rajesh’s family in Kodad and accused the Congress government of shielding police officials in the alleged custodial death.
He described the incident as a clear case of lockup death and alleged that the youngster was tortured and murdered in custody under political pressure. Rama Rao demanded the immediate dismissal of the officials concerned and questioned the reported promotion of DSP Sridhar Reddy following the incident.
He also sought clarification from minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy and local Congress leaders regarding their stand on the issue, stating that the matter would be raised in the Assembly.
Drawing a comparison with the previous BRS regime, KTR cited the Addagudur police station case involving the death of a Dalit woman, Mariamma, during which the then government had provided Rs 35 lakh ex gratia, offered a job to a family member, and dismissed the responsible officials.
He alleged that, in contrast, the present government was protecting those involved instead of ensuring accountability.
The BRS leader announced Rs 5 lakh financial assistance from the party to Rajesh’s family and assured continued legal and political support. Former Minister Jagadish Reddy and other party leaders accompanied him during the visit.
Re-postmortem under NCSC orders
Amid continuing controversy, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes directed that a re-postmortem be conducted. Acting on these orders, the AIIMS medical team from Delhi performed the procedure on Friday under heavy police bandobast.
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