12 Years On, Family Seeks Martyr Status for Missing Telangana Youth

Hyderabad: The family of a youth who actively participated in the Telangana agitation and has been missing since 2013 has urged the government to declare him a martyr, as the case has been marked ‘undetected’ by the police.

Mandala Raju, who was actively involved in the movement since 2009 at Osmania University (OU), has been missing for the past 12 years. His family, based in Gorlaveedu village in Bhupalpally mandal of Jayashankar Bhupalpally district, has been desperately searching for him and even filed a complaint with the police. However, the only response they received was a letter from the OU campus police station stating that the case remains ‘undetected.’

“We are at a loss. We don’t know where my brother is. We need closure. Either he should be found or declared a martyr,” said Raju’s sister, Mamatha. Along with Raju’s father, Mandala Chinna Sammi Reddy, and his mother, Sumathi, Mamatha approached the district administration on June 30, asking them to reconsider the case.

“If someone is missing for more than seven years, the law presumes them dead. In this case, my brother should be declared a martyr of the Telangana movement and be honoured accordingly,” Mamatha said, referring to her 35-year-old brother.

A letter from the Superintendent of Police, dated June 2022, confirmed, through media clippings, that Raju had been actively involved in the Telangana agitation and had been missing since June 20, 2013.

On June 6, 2022, the then District Collector also wrote to the Chief Secretary, recommending that Raju’s family be provided financial assistance and benefits under the Telangana martyrs’ scheme.

Raju had last visited his family in June 2013 and left for Hyderabad on June 20. He had contacted his family to confirm his arrival.

“We thought he would return, but when he didn’t, we filed a complaint with the Bhupalpally police,” Mamatha added.