Journo’s funeral turns T-protest

Funeral procession of a young journalist, M. Sunil Kumar, 25, who committed suicide on Monday evening blaming delay in the formation of separate Telangana, turned into a government bashing rally in the city.

Kumar, who worked for a vernacular daily, had committed suicide by hanging at his home in Gopalpuram area, under KU police station limits. He had also left behind a suicide note.

His funeral procession, which was attended by city journalists, Kakatiya University Joint Action Committee (KUJAC) members, advocates and TRS leaders and activists, started at MGM Hospital Tuesday morning.

All through the procession route including Mulugu Road, Hanamkonda Chowrasta, DCC Bhavan, Press Club, Kaloji Centre before culminating at the Telangana Martyrs Memorial at Subedari, the agitators, who also held rasta rokos, shouted anti-Centre slogans for delaying separate Telangana state.

Speaking at Martyrs’ Memorial, M. Sahodar Reddy, state Bar Council member, while finding fault with the PM’s latest statement on Telangana, blamed the Centre for provoking sections of people from the region to commit suicide.

“Such statements by politicians at the Centre are nothing but abetment to suicides,” he said.

K. Mahender, convenor, Telangana Journalists Forum, Warangal, appealed to united Andhra leaders to read the suicide note written by Sunil Kumar.

According to KU police station SI V. Suresh Kumar, Kumar had also blamed the management of his newspaper, a pro-Left daily, for not publishing his stories on the Telangana agitation.

In a related development, a group of students led by J. Ramesh, KUJAC co-convenor, also prevented a Congress ZPTC member and a corporator from joining the journalist’s funeral procession, leading to exchange of words at Subedari.