Police claim of “love failure” in TSPSC aspirant’s death aims to divert attention from govt failures

Hyderabad, 14 October 2023: The alleged suicide of 23-year-old Marri Pravallika, an aspirant for the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) exams, has taken a controversial turn with the police claiming it was due to a “love failure”. This claim seems intended to divert attention from the government’s failure to conduct the TSPSC exams properly.

Pravallika’s death on Friday sparked massive protests as hundreds of students blamed the state government’s mismanagement of TSPSC exams, which have seen multiple cancellations and postponements this year. However, police are sticking to their version that Pravallika was distraught after being jilted by her boyfriend Shivaram Rathod.

Police said they have gathered evidence like call records, chat messages and CCTV footage to build a case of abetment of suicide against Rathod. But Pravallika’s family has rebutted the police theory, saying she was under stress about the financial burden of repeated exam fees on her struggling family.

The police appear intent on pinning the blame on a fictitious love affair, diverting attention from the government’s botched handling of TSPSC exams. The Group-1 prelims were cancelled in March over paper leaks. The exam was again cancelled by the High Court in September over procedural lapses. The Group-2 exam was postponed from November to January 2024 citing the upcoming state elections.

For lakhs of unemployed youths banking on these exams for government jobs, the repeated cancellations and uncertainties have caused extreme stress. Pravallika’s death is the tragic outcome of this administrative mess. But instead of fixing accountability, the police seem to be shielding the government by concocting a theory of love failure. This attempt to change the narrative must be questioned.