->JJMC89 bot III at 11:14, 19 September 2021

2021-09-19T11:14:40Z

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'''Belli Lalitha''' (29 April 1974 - 26 May 1999) was an Indian [[folk singer]] and founder of Telangana Kala Samithi who was murdered in 1999.

==Life==
She was born in Nancharpet, Atmakur Mandali, Nalgonda district in a Telugu-speaking [[Kuruba|Kuruma]] family. She had a brother, Belli Krishna, an activist and a government employee and 5 sisters. She was active in the civil liberties movement and an activist for statehood for [[Telangana region]] in the late 1990s. Her father was an Oggu Katha singer and a labourer. She was fighting for the cause of Telangana statehood and was immensely popular in rural areas. She was offered a seat by [[Samajwadi Party]] in 1999 elections from Bhongir constituency before she was killed.{{cn|date=June 2020}}

==Death==
In 1999, she was kidnapped, assaulted, and [[axe murder|hacked with an axe]] to the point her body parts were dismembered into 17 pieces.<ref>[https://m.ap7am.com/lv-230720-face-to-face-with-belli-lalithas-sister-nayeems-victim.html Face To Face With Belli Lalitha’s Sister] - AP7AM.com Reporting</ref> Her dismembered body parts were then thrown in front of the Choutupoal police station by the assailants. Initially, the then TDP government home minister [[Alimineti Madhava Reddy]] was implicated in the murder but later cleared{{cn|date=June 2020}} after further evidence pointed to local Naxalite godfather and kingpin [[Mohammed Nayeemuddin]].<ref>{{cite news |work=Hindustan Times |title=From Maoist to police informer to gangster: The rise and fall of Nayeem |date=15 August 2016 |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/from-maoist-to-police-informer-to-gangster-the-rise-and-fall-of-nayeem/story-bMsIr0QxxCXpeUt4X7FvaO.html |accessdate=2020-06-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |work=The Hindu |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/Brutality-involved-in-Sambasivudu-murder-indicates-Nayeems-role/article14965929.ece |title= Brutality involved in Sambasivudu murder indicates Nayeem's role |date=29 March 2011 |accessdate=2020-06-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |work=Sakshi |url=http://english.sakshi.com/news/2016/08/09/from-revolutionary-to-underworld-don-the-journey-of-a-gangster |title=From Revolutionary To Underworld Don - The Journey Of A Gangster |date=9 August 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200216152617/https://english.sakshi.com/news/2016/08/09/from-revolutionary-to-underworld-don-the-journey-of-a-gangster |archivedate=16 February 2020 }}</ref> Three of her brothers were also killed, the remaining brother Krishna hiding from 2000 to 2017.<ref>{{cite news |work=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Nayeem-victims-brother-returns-after-17-yr-exile/articleshow/54635959.cms |title=Nayeem victim's brother returns after 17-yr exile |accessdate=2020-06-30}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite news |url=https://feminisminindia.com/2018/03/02/belli-lalitha-telangana-resistance/ |title=Belli Lalitha: The Nightingale Of The Telangana Resistance |first=Manohar |last=Boda |date=2 March 2018 |work=feminismindia.com |accessdate=2020-06-30}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lalitha, Belli}}
[[Category:Indian women folk singers]]
[[Category:Indian folk singers]]
[[Category:People from Nalgonda district]]
[[Category:1999 deaths]]
[[Category:People murdered in India]]
[[Category:Indian murder victims]]
[[Category:Crime in Telangana]]
[[Category:1974 births]]
[[Category:Women musicians from Andhra Pradesh]]
[[Category:Singers from Andhra Pradesh]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women singers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian singers]]

{{India-singer-stub}}

Belli Lalitha - Revision history

->JJMC89 bot III at 11:14, 19 September 2021