Belli Lalitha Biography 
Belli Lalitha was a folk singer from Telangana also known as ‘The Nightingale of Telangana Resistance’. She was the founder of Telangana Kala Samithi. She lost her life at a young age of 25 at Bhongir in Nalgonda district, and it was a pre-planned murder after a lot of torture. She has been fighting for the cause of Telangana statehood and was immensely popular in rural areas when death took her away in her mid-20s. She was offered a seat by Samajwadi Party in 1999 elections from Bhongir constituency just before she was kidnapped, assaulted, and hacked her body parts with an axe and torn to 17 pieces. A local Naxalite godfather and kingpin Mohammed Nayeemuddin was behind this heinous crime. Three of her brothers were also killed later.
Belli Lalitha was born on 26 April 1974 in Nancharpet, Atmakur Mandali, Nalgonda district of undivided Andhra Pradesh. She was born into a Telugu-speaking Kuruma Hindu family. Her brother Belli Krishna was an activist who had to flee from hometown because of death threats following the murder of her sister. Three of her brothers were killed by the notorious gang Mohammed Nayeemuddin later. Belli also had 5 sisters. Their father was an Oggu Katha singer and a labourer.
Belli has been an activist, fighting for Telangana separation since young. At a very young age, she gained popularity from rural areas and people loved her lot. For the same reason she was even promised a seat for the upcoming elections by Samajwadi Party. Unfortunately destiny was something else. In May 1999 she was kidnapped, assaulted and killed. Her dismembered body parts were then thrown in front of the Choutupoal police station and also sent to relatives.
Though there were speculations that then home minister Alimineti Madhava Reddy was behind this murder, later evidences pointed towards Mohammed Nayeemuddin, a local naxalite. Her family faced a lot of hardships later. Three of her brothers were tortured to death while the remaining one brother was forced to flee. Krishna lived in self-imposed exile for long 17 years, doing odd jobs to support his livelihood and reunited with his family only in 2016 after Mohammed Nayeemuddin was killed in a police encounter. He sold bread, cleaned bottles and did small jobs to support himself, and now is involved with social activities.
Published: February 19, 2019
Updated: February 19, 2019
