The funeral of a food poisoning victim was marred by protests after the government imposed public restrictions on Telangana Today

Shailaja, 14, died on Monday while undergoing treatment at NIMS in Hyderabad.

Kumram Bheem Asifabad: Funeral of Ch Shailaj, a class 9 student who died of food poisoning at the Tribal Welfare Department’s ashram school at ul. Wankidiwas marked by mass protests from various social groups against the callousness of the state government. Protests escalated after state authorities tried to prevent public leaders and opposition party leaders from attending the funeral.

Shailaja (14) died during treatment at NIM on Monday in Hyderabad. She was one of 64 students who were hospitalized after dinner at the school’s dormitory on October 30 and 31. Her body was brought to the village early in the morning from Hyderabad.

Long before the body arrived, the village was placed under a heavy security layer and police placed restrictions on outsiders entering the village. They set up checkpoints in all four directions, barring access to the public and media from about 10 kilometers away from the village.

It is said that due to restrictions and tight security, even Shailaja’s parents were not allowed to spend much time with their daughter’s body before being carried away for the funeral. Their relatives were also not allowed to enter the village and pay homage to Shailaja.

The funeral was held in the afternoon in the presence of Additional Collector Deepak Tiwari and RDO Lokeshwara Rao. According to reports from the village, police cordoned off the funeral site.

Earlier, villagers and members of various organizations staged a dharna to protest against Shailaja’s death. They did not allow the officials to hand over the body to the parents. They withdrew their protest after the Additional Collector assured them of job and home extension under the Indiramma housing scheme.

However, the parents of Thukaram and Meerabai expressed dissatisfaction and sought clarification from the district authorities on the compensation issue. They wanted five acres of land, compensation and a government job. They said their dreams were shattered after their daughter’s death. They asked officials to take steps to meet their demand.

On the other hand, a few BRS and BJP leaders including Asifabad MLA Kova Lakshmi, Sirpur (T) MLA Harish Babu, MLC Dande Vittal and others were barred from visiting the village. In fact, Kova Lakshmi was placed under house arrest wr Asifabad since Monday evening itself. Speaking to the media later, she claimed that Shailaji’s death was actually a murder committed by the government.