A Dalit woman was tied to a tree in Kuppam, Andhra Pradesh, by moneylenders when she could not repay a loan.
Sirisha was tied to a tree and allegedly beaten by moneylender Munikannappa and others after her husband failed to repay a loan of Rs 80,000 taken three years ago.
The incident happened on Monday, June 16, 2025, at Narayanapuram village under the Kuppam municipal limits.
Kuppam is represented in the Andhra Pradesh assembly by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu himself.
The villagers shot a video of the incident which soon went viral, causing huge embarrassment to Andhra Pradesh's ruling Telugu Desam Party.
In the video the woman can be seen being tied to a tree by the moneylender even as her child can be heard crying in the background.
Photographs of the incident available online show a boy with a schoolbag sitting next to her, while the mother is seen holding a cellphone.
After the video was posted, the Kuppam police swung into action, freed the woman, arrested four persons and registered a case of attempt to murder.
The Opposition Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party did not miss the chance to highlight the incident.
Posting the video on its X handle, the YSR-Congress said, 'Such incidents were happening in Andhra state right under the nose of the government as the incident happened in the constituency of N Chandrababu Naidu.'
Stung by the criticism, Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh responded on X, 'The incident of a woman being tied to a tree and treated inhumanly in Narayanapuram, Kuppam mandal, for not paying off a loan, has left me deeply saddened. The government takes such acts seriously.'
'Those responsible for this incident have already been arrested,' added Lokesh, who is also the TDP's general secretary and Chandrababu Naidu's only child.
'The coalition government gives the highest priority to women's safety. Anyone who engages in such actions will be severely punished.'
© 2025