Hyderabad: Mahananda Kumari, mother of former BRS MLA from Jubilee Hills, late Maganti Gopinath, has accused BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao of withholding information about her son’s death. Speaking to the media, she demanded that Rama Rao answer questions surrounding what she called her son’s “mysterious death”.
She alleged that while Gopinath was hospitalised, she was not allowed to see him despite repeated appeals. “Even after informing Rama Rao, he showed no concern,” she said tearfully. “After my son died, they kept him on the ventilator. Why did they declare his death only after KTR’s visit?” she asked, demanding that Rama Rao explain the sequence of events to the family and the public.
The controversy erupted after Gopinath’s first wife, Malini Devi, objected to issuing a family member certificate to Maganti Sunitha, who is contesting as the BRS candidate from Jubilee Hills. Following the objection, Serilingampally tahsildar conducted a hearing on Thursday, attended by Gopinath’s mother, Mahananda Kumari, first wife Malini Devi and their son Pradyumna.
Mahananda Kumari said the family was not informed when Gopinath was admitted to the hospital. “We came to know about it only through a phone call from someone known to us,” she said.
In tears, the 92-year-old said she was denied even a final look at her son. “At my age, what greater pain can there be than this?” she said, alleging that no one revealed what illness he had or details of his treatment. “The hospital never shared any information or allowed us entry. They acted as if under strict instructions from someone,” she claimed.
Recounting the events, she said that when Rama Rao visited the hospital, she sought permission to accompany him inside, but her request was ignored. “K.T. Rama Rao said he would speak to me, but slipped out through another exit. When I ran towards his car, he shut the doors,” she said, breaking down. She questioned, “Was my son’s body kept like that even after his death? Why did they announce his death only after KTR left the hospital?”