Debate on capital punishment rekindled on 50th anniversary of 1975 Telangana execution

By Harsh Thakor*

Kosuganti Bhumayya and Gunnala Kishtagoud, associated with the first generation of the Naxalbari movement, were executed by hanging in Mushirabad Jail, Secunderabad, on December 1, 1975. The 50th anniversary of their execution has prompted renewed discussion among writers, activists, and civil liberties groups about the case, its legal handling, and the broader debate on capital punishment in India.

Both men, aged 49 and 46 respectively, came from farming and working-class rural backgrounds in present-day Telangana. They were married, and Bhumayya had children. They had taken part in the Telangana Armed Struggle (1946–51), and later joined the Naxalite movement after the Naxalbari uprising in 1967.

In April 1970, Bhumayya, a tailor, and Kishtagoud, a farmer, participated in a march involving around 300 villagers to the house of a landlord, Lachchu Patel, in Adilabad district. Patel died during the confrontation, and 28 people were arrested. While charges were eventually dropped for others, the two men were convicted of murder and sentenced to death on January 5, 1972. At the time, the Naxalite movement in India, particularly in parts of Andhra Pradesh and Srikakulam, was at a peak, with armed actions against landlords and government forces reported in several regions.

Their execution became a focal point of national and international protests against the death penalty, particularly during the period of Emergency (1975–77). Political leaders including Chandra Rajeswararao, Bhupesh Gupta, Jayaprakash Narayan, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, George Fernandes, and others appealed for clemency. Demonstrations were organized by student unions, labour groups, civil liberties organizations, and cultural figures. International protests included involvement from Jean-Paul Sartre, Noam Chomsky, and Tariq Ali.

Legal efforts to halt the execution created unusual courtroom developments, including emergency hearings and temporary stays. However, the Supreme Court ultimately upheld the death sentence in October 1975. The judgment acknowledged the political nature of the actions but noted that the existing penal code did not differentiate between politically motivated killings and other forms of homicide.

Writers and observers have since described the case as an important episode in the history of debates on capital punishment and civil liberties in India. According to journalist N Venugopal, editor of the Telugu magazine Veeraksham, plans are underway to compile writings on the case, the legal process, and the wider public response. The execution has been cited by many commentators as a point of reference in later discussions about the use of the death penalty and the treatment of political dissent.

T. Purushottam: Legacy in the Civil Liberties Movement

Meanwhile, the civil liberties movement has marked the 25th anniversary of the killing of human rights lawyer and activist Kekuri Karnam Purushottam Rao on November 23. His name is widely acknowledged in civil liberties circles, alongside other activists who were killed in the course of their work, including J.L. Reddy, Dr A. Ramanadham, N. Prabhakar Reddy, Gopi Rajanna, and Md Azam Ali. An APCLC booklet published in 2000, titled Amarula Adugujaadallo Pourahakkula Udyamam (Civil Liberties Movement in the Footprints of Martyrs), carried photographs of these activists.

Kekuri Karnam Purushottam, widely known as T. Purushottam, was a human rights lawyer from Mahabubnagar, Andhra Pradesh, and served as Joint Secretary of the Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee (APCLC). He was involved in legal work concerning allegations of human rights violations, including claims of custodial violence and extrajudicial killings.

In 1993, he took part in efforts that resulted in the release of 30 people from forced labour in a brick kiln near Mahabubnagar. In 1994, he filed a petition in a custodial death case that led to the conviction of two police personnel and compensation for the victim’s family. In 2000, he was involved in legal proceedings linked to the deaths of two protesters during demonstrations against electricity tariff increases.

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*Freelance journalist

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