KMC student Preethi cremated amid high drama; demand for judicial probe reiterated

Medico Preethi was declared dead at NIMS-Hyderabad on Sunday evening, five days after trying to end her life in Warangal over ‘targeted harassment’ by course senior; bereaved family calls for exemplary punishment for accused

Amid wails of family members and heavy police deployment, the last rites of Kakatiya Medical College PG first year student, Dharavath Preethi, were performed at her native place, Girni thanda, in Jangaon district on Monday afternoon.

Preethi had allegedly attempted to end her life at the MGM Hospital in Warangal due to “targeted harassment” by a course senior last Wednesday.

Heartrending scenes were witnessed at Girni thanda as the grief-stricken relatives, representatives of various tribal organisations and political parties thronged the tribal hamlet to pay their last respects to the young doctor, whose promising career was cut short. Slogans of “Dr Preethi amar rahe” rent the air during the funeral procession.

A tense situation prevailed as activists of various tribal organisations as well as the BJP cadre staged a sit-in, demanding exemplary punishment for the accused, Md. Saif, a second-year student of MD anaesthesia course, who has already been arrested by the Matwada police on charge of abetting her ‘suicide.’

The protesters vociferously demanded a judicial probe into Preethi’s death and said that Kakatiya Medical College (KMC) principal and head of the department concerned should be suspended to ensure speedy justice to the bereaved family.

The police whisked them away from the tribal hamlet amid continued sloganeering by the protesters demanding ₹1 crore ex-gratia and a Group-I cadre government job for a member of the bereaved family.

“She wanted to become an anaesthetist to serve the needy and bring laurels to our tribal hamlet, but fell prey to the targeted harassment by Saif and apathy of the college authorities,” said Preethi’s inconsolable father. D.Narendar.