Hyderabad: The death of an aged YSRCP supporter, allegedly after coming under former Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy’s car, has sparked a massive row, with the ruling and opposition sides blaming each other for the fatal mishap last week.
Andhra Pradesh police booked the YSRCP chief for culpable homicide, along with his government-provided driver Ramana Reddy. YSRCP senior leaders inside the car—including former ministers Perni Venkataramaiah and Vidadala Rajini—were also named in the case.
Jagan has alleged inadequate security arrangements caused the death and accused the Naidu regime of resorting to “diversionary tactics to cover its unfulfilled poll promises”.
A short video clip that surfaced on social media Sunday showed Cheeli Singaiah being dragged for a few seconds by the front right tyre of a black SUV.
The clip showed Jagan at the left front door of the same vehicle, as the car was swarmed with enthusiastic party workers, causing a din. One worker even climbed on the bonnet with a placard to grab Jagan’s attention. Jagan was greeting people, apparently unaware of the man being run over by the car at a slow pace.
The incident occurred on 18 June at Yetukuru in Guntur district, when the former CM was on his way to Rentapalla village in Palnadu district to visit the family of a party activist who died by suicide last June.
That death also sparked controversy with the YSRCP blaming TDP leaders’ harassment, while the ruling party said Nagamalleswara Rao, whose statue Jagan unveiled Wednesday, ended his life after suffering huge losses after gambling on a YSRCP victory.
“Jagan’s odarpu (solace) yatra is very strange, coming over a year after Rao’s death. We, in fact, can blame Jagan for his death, as believing the YSRCP chief’s absurd claims of winning 175 out of 175 seats, Rao wagered huge amounts on Jagan’s victory. Unable to pay it off, the YSRCP supporter ended his life,” TDP politburo member Varla Ramaiah said on the day of the visit.
TDP leaders like home minister Vangalapudi Anitha accuse Jagan and his partymen of ignoring police restrictions on his Palnadu visit and also of insensitivity by not rushing the injured Singaiah to the hospital in time.
On Sunday night, Guntur SP Satish Kumar, who earlier stated that Singaiah was hit by an unidentified car, addressed a press meet to reveal the latest details.
“What I said was based on available evidence that day. After analysing various videos, CCTV, drone footage, etc., and questioning the witnesses, we have noticed that the man fell under the SUV and a tyre ran over him,” Kumar told reporters.
The SP said that while a case was booked last week based on a complaint by Singaiah’s widow, Mary, the charges have been altered in light of fresh evidence.
The SP reportedly stated that while Jagan’s convoy to Palnadu had permission for 11 plus three vehicles, “the former CM’s entourage proceeded in 50 cars from his Tadepalli residence”.
Singaiah, who was found lying injured beside the road, was taken to the hospital in an ambulance by locals and a police officer, but doctors declared him brought dead.
‘Diversionary tactics, degrading politics’
Jagan lashed out at Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu over the case Monday, “accusing him of political vendetta and degrading the standards of politics” in Andhra Pradesh.
In a lengthy post on X, Jagan charged the CM of “imposing deliberate restrictions on his Rentapalla tour”.
The former chief minister said the current administration was preventing him from visiting party workers or expressing solidarity with farmers and citizens. “Neither Chandrababu nor Pawan Kalyan ever faced such restrictions during their tours when he was in power,” he added.
Emphasising his Z+ security status as a former chief minister, Jagan said that he followed all rules, gave prior information to the authorities about his visit, but the state government failed to provide the necessary security arrangements.”
“Why were there no pilot vehicles or rope parties deployed during my visit, as part of the standard Z+ security protocol. If the security arrangements were in place, how could anyone have come under the vehicle,” Jagan questioned in the post.
Jagan also alleged that as the Naidu government “did not provide a bulletproof vehicle, mandatory under protocol”, he had arranged one at his own expense, but used the government-provided driver, an Armed Reserve constable named Ramana Reddy.
Jagan accused Naidu and the TDP of diversionary politics with the tragic case as he was going to the public, questioning the ruling combine’s one year of unfulfilled promises and governance failures.
Referring to the SP’s initial statement on the incident, Jagan asked why the narrative was later “changed and politicised”.
Jagan said that he was informed of Singaiah’s death only during his return from the Rentapalla tour and that he immediately instructed his party leaders to provide help, while announcing Rs 10 lakh compensation to the victim’s family.
Jagan added that another YSRCP supporter died due to a heart attack during the same tour, and that he extended similar support to that family as well.
“A poisonous campaign is on against us, but what about Chandrababu’s responses in similar situations?” Jagan asked, referring to stampede deaths at Naidu-attended TDP rallies at Kandukur and Guntur two and a half years ago, when he was the opposition leader. Eleven people died in the two incidents in December 2022 and January 2023.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)