Jayashankar statue base demolished in Siricilla; Kavitha demands action

Hyderabad: Irrigation department officials in Rajanna Siricilla district razed the base of a statue planned in honour of Telangana ideologue Professor Kothapalli Jayashankar, triggering outrage from BRS MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha.

The structure, located near Namaz Cheruvu embankment in Gambhiraopet, was demolished using a JCB on grounds of lacking official permission. Members of the Vishwabrahmana Sangham had begun work on the installation, aiming to unveil the statue on August 6, Jayashankar’s birth anniversary.

Kavitha, founder of Telangana Jagruthi, condemned the move as a disgrace to the memory of a man who devoted his life to the statehood movement. In a post on X, she criticised the current government for allowing such an act under a Chief Minister “who never raised the slogan ‘Jai Telangana’.”

Calling the demolition brutal and insulting, Kavitha demanded immediate state intervention to approve the statue’s installation and called for strict action against the officials responsible for the demolition.