RAJAHMUNDRY DOCTOR’S BRUTAL DEATH-THE LIQUOR KILLING SPREE IN INDIA

INSTANT CASE: THE PERFUNCTORY INVESTIGATION DONE

Dr. Kanike Priyanka, a 29-year-old postgraduate medical student from Rajahmundry, Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh, was killed by two drunken marauders who, in a state of audacious, bold and shamelessly reckless intoxication, allegedly rammed their SUV intentionally into the lady doctor’s two-wheeler, injuring her friend and fatally injuring Dr. Priyanka.

Though subordinate police officers are understood to have reached Prasaditya Mall, Rajahmundry, within the golden hour after being informed by the other victim-doctor, it is alleged that the Prakash Nagar police attempted to circumvent and suppress the matter rather than focus on a professional investigation and unravel the facts.

The loopholes and lapses in the police investigation are visible and apparent to the naked eye, pointing to a disturbing degree of investigative inertia. The disturbing questions are whether they arose from institutional malaise, or sheer inefficiency. Political leaders, students and the medical fraternity have categorically pointed to what they describe as blatant systemic negligence and serious procedural lapses.

The police, failed to adequately preserve the scene of the offence in accordance with the procedure of Criminal Procedure Code. The  area around Prasaditya Mall, which constituted a crucial part of the crime scene, was reportedly not properly cordoned off. Consequently, valuable technical and forensic evidence may have been compromised or lost, undermining the evidentiary integrity of the investigation.

A ROUTINE TREATMENT OF A BRUTAL ACT

What appeared to be an intentional, targeted and deliberate act of violence was allegedly treated, in a perfunctory and casual manner, and sought to be brushed aside, as a random traffic incident. The police appear to have overlooked the seriousness of the occurrence and failed to immediately secure the eyewitness accounts and examine the CCTV cameras for possible clues.

Instead, the alleged attack by drunken youths on the unfortunate and helpless doctors, was treated as though, it were merely a trivial traffic-related incident. The allegation that the accused, following an altercation and confrontation with the mall security personnel, intentionally rammed their vehicle into the scooter repeatedly — reportedly three times — in a fit of rage and ego, demanded an immediate and professional criminal investigation.

POLICE INERTIA

Such investigative inertia consequently allowed the alleged perpetrators, Suravarapu Daswanth and Andrew Joseph Edward, to leave the city. The first priority should have been to act immediately upon the statements of witnesses, identify and track the vehicle, and apprehend the suspects without delay.

The failure to secure their immediate custody also meant that an opportunity for prompt blood -alcohol testing could have been lost. Such evidence, if properly collected, at the earliest possible stage and in accordance with law, could have had considerable corroborative evidentiary value.

The vehicle itself should have been immediately secured and subjected to forensic examination. The alleged removal or alteration of its number plate, if established, raises an additional and serious question concerning the integrity of the evidentiary chain.

REGISTRATION OF THE CASE

The case was initially registered under relatively basic and bailable provisions relating to rash and negligent driving, including Section 338 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, as reported. It was only after public protests and widespread agitation that the police reportedly invoked more serious provisions relating to culpable homicide not amounting to murder, including Sections 105 and 106.

That sequence inevitably raises questions about whether the gravity of the incident was recognised by the investigating agency from the very beginning, or only after sustained public pressure-an issue that goes to the heart of the investigative credibility.

QUESTIONS OVER SUPPRESSION

It is deeply ironic, if the allegations are correct, that the administration also attempted to remove social-media posts and information and sought to suppress media coverage and the agitation by protesters. Any attempt to control the narrative, rather than establish the truth, if correct as alleged, would amount to a serious mockery of criminal justice and a grave dereliction of institutional responsibility.

The alleged crime occurred on the night of August 2026, yet the accused were not arrested until August 6, 2026, according to the information available. The intervening period provided an opportunity for the suspects to leave the immediate crime scene and potentially enabled the loss, alteration or destruction of valuable technical evidence.

The immediate seizure and preservation of CCTV footage from Prasaditya Mall, which reportedly documented the incident and the repeated impact of the vehicle against the scooter, could have provided crucial information and important initial evidence for building the prosecution case.

ALLEGATIONS OF INFLUENCE

It has also been alleged that accused Daswanth is an influential real-estate businessman and maintains close relations with political figures. These allegations have generated suspicion of an attempted cover-up. Such allegations have to be probed sincerely. The two principal accused, Suryavarapu Daswanth (24) and Desabhaktula Andrew Joseph Edward (23), were produced before the II Additional First Class Magistrate Court and reportedly remanded to 14 days of judicial custody at Rajahmundry Central Prison.

PUBLIC ANGER AND THE DEMAND FOR JUSTICE

The tragic news of Dr. Priyanka being declared brain-dead and subsequently passing away has triggered widespread anger, anguish and grief among the people of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

The political leadership has vociferously raised the slogan of “zero tolerance” against such acts of violence.

‘’But slogans alone cannot constitute justice.’’

The real test lies in whether the investigation is conducted professionally, independently, scientifically and without fear or favour.

THE TEST OF PROFESSIONAL INVESTIGATION

A professional investigation does not begin with a predetermined conclusion. It begins with the preservation of the crime scene, the protection of evidence, the identification and examination of witnesses, the immediate seizure of relevant digital and forensic material, the lawful apprehension of suspects, the reconstruction of the sequence of events and the testing of every competing hypothesis.

In a case involving the death of a young doctor, any delay, omission or procedural lapse is not merely an administrative failure. It may become an indictment of systemic failure, permanently affect the truth-finding process and, ultimately, the cause of justice.

The central question, therefore, is stark:

Was this merely a case of police incompetence and inertia, or were there deeper failures that require independent scrutiny? A judicial enquiry perhaps.

That question cannot be answered by rhetoric, political assurances or public-relations exercises. It can be answered only by a transparent, evidence-based and professionally conducted investigation.

ANOTHER DRUNKEN KILLING ON THE ORR, TELANGANA

Hardly a day after the gruesome killing of lady doctor Dr. Priyanka at the hands of drunken ruffians, in a horrific car crash into her scooter, a similar case of drunken driving has occurred on the Outer Ring Road (ORR) in Telangana.

Ravinder (47), a retired Army jawan, was returning home on his motorcycle after finishing his night shift. A car carrying four individuals, who were heavily intoxicated and the Car was allegedly being driven, at a high speed, in the wrong direction. The car rammed into Ravinder’s motorcycle and subsequently crashed into two other vehicles. The incident occurred under the jurisdiction of the Narsingi police station at around 5.30 a.m. on August 10, 2026.

Ravinder died on the spot, while two others sustained injuries. The accused allegedly tried to flee from the scene of the offence but were chased down and detained by onlookers. The accused reportedly left the scene without offering medical assistance to the victim. The Narsingi police booked them under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Motor Vehicles Act.

The four accused are Veeresh, who was driving the Mahindra SUV under the influence of alcohol, was a food-delivery executive, and other accused were B. Srikanth Goud, Vikash and Chandan respectively.  All the four were reportedly in an intoxicated state.

Alcohol consumption has been on the increase in India. Arunachal Pradesh, Telangana and Tripura record some of the highest prevalence rates. Men account for the vast majority of alcohol consumption. High rates of alcohol dependence relative to the user base are frequently concentrated in States such as Andhra Pradesh, Tripura, Punjab and Chandigarh.

LIQUOR CONSUMPTION: A SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION

Consumption of liquor has become a customary practice, in a majority of households, reflecting deeply entrenched social pathology. Coupled with the menace of weed, ganja and drugs, the growing ‘’CULTURE OF INTOXICATION ‘‘ is transforming sections of society and the youth into a demographic burden for families, society, the nation and humanity.

Political ill-will, the advocacy and sloganeering of their supporters, and the appointment of mediocre advisers, bureaucrats and subservient public servants — weak, meek and inefficient — suit the colonial and corrupt mindset of the polity. Perhaps Indian politics is among the richest political fraternities in the world.

Birth, death, marriage, festivals, happiness, sorrow or whatever else one can imagine, liquor consumption has become a practice, that goes around and around and has transgressed into a social habit and a status symbol.

For students, it is a peer pressure from a young age; for elders, it is a societal norm; and for governments, liquor mafias and corporate health interests, it represents a ‘’ FORMIDABLE REVENUE STREAM’’.