Belli Lalitha (29 April 1974 – 26 May 1999) was an Indian folk singer and founder of Telangana Kala Samithi who was murdered in 1999.

Life

She was born in Nancharpet, Atmakur Mandali, Nalgonda district in a Telugu-speaking Kuruma family. She had a brother, Belli Krishna, an activist and a government employee and 5 sisters. She was active in the civil liberties movement and an activist for statehood for Telangana region in the late 1990s. Her father was an Oggu Katha singer and a labourer. She was fighting for the cause of Telangana statehood and was immensely popular in rural areas. She was offered a seat by Samajwadi Party in 1999 elections from Bhongir constituency before she was killed.[citation needed]

Death

In 1999, she was kidnapped, assaulted, and hacked with an axe to the point her body parts were dismembered into 17 pieces.[1] Her dismembered body parts were then thrown in front of the Choutupoal police station by the assailants. Initially, the then TDP government home minister Alimineti Madhava Reddy was implicated in the murder but later cleared[citation needed] after further evidence pointed to local Naxalite godfather and kingpin Mohammed Nayeemuddin.[2][3][4] Three of her brothers were also killed, the remaining brother Krishna hiding from 2000 to 2017.[5]

References

  1. ^ Face To Face With Belli Lalitha’s Sister Archived 16 February 2020 at the Wayback Machine - AP7AM.com Reporting
  2. ^ "From Maoist to police informer to gangster: The rise and fall of Nayeem". Hindustan Times. 15 August 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  3. ^ "Brutality involved in Sambasivudu murder indicates Nayeem's role". The Hindu. 29 March 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  4. ^ "From Revolutionary To Underworld Don - The Journey Of A Gangster". Sakshi. 9 August 2016. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020.
  5. ^ "Nayeem victim's brother returns after 17-yr exile". The Times of India. Retrieved 30 June 2020.

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