Andhra Pradesh: New twist to man’s death during Jaganmohan Reddy’s rally in Guntur

A viral video allegedly shows a man being run over by YS Jaganmohan Reddy’s convoy vehicle during a rally. While police confirmed a death, YSRCP dismissed the footage as fake, accusing rivals of politicising the tragedy for image damage

Amaravati: In a new twist to the case relating to the death of a person during YSRCP President YS Jaganmohan Reddy’s June 18 rally in Guntur district, a video has surfaced allegedly showing the victim coming under the wheels of the vehicle carrying the former Chief Minister.

The video was widely shared on social media platforms since Saturday, but its veracity could not be confirmed. The video shows Jagan standing on the door of his vehicle to wave at his supporters who were vying with each other to shake hands with him, and a man coming under the front wheel of the vehicle.

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The police have not yet reacted to the video, while the YSR Congress Party has dismissed it as an attempt to tarnish the image of its leader. Cheeli Singaiah (65) died after a vehicle in Jagan Mohan Reddy’s convoy hit him on the National Highway at Etukuru village in Guntur district.

The former Chief Minister was organising a rally from Tadepalli in Guntur district to Sattenapalli in Palnadu district to console party functionary Korlakunta Nagamalleswara Rao, who died by suicide due to alleged harassment by police and TDP leaders.

According to police, Cheeli Singaiah had come to participate in the rally. Guntur District Superintendent of Police S Satish Kumar had confirmed the same day that Singaiah was hit by a vehicle in Jagan’s convoy. The SP stated that after the accident, the convoy moved without stopping there and taking care of the victim.

The police on the patrolling duty at that time found the victim and shifted him to a hospital, but the doctors declared him as brought dead. The police registered a case and took up an investigation.

After the video surfaced showing the victim being allegedly hit by Jagan’s car, State Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar said that the YSRCP leader was throwing people’s lives to the wind for his publicity stunt.

Meanwhile, the YSR Congress Party has dismissed the video as ‘fabricated’ and an attempt to tarnish the image of Jaganmohan Reddy. YSRCP leader and former Minister Ambati Rambabu said on Sunday that the death of a person during YS Jagan’s Palnadu tour has been blown out of proportion.

“Just after the incident, TDP and its friends started a media trial aimed at spreading lies against YS Jaganmohan Reddy and went in circles to tell that it was his car that had hit the person, Singamayya, resulting in his death. The SP himself confirmed that it was not Jagan’s vehicle but the one that accompanied the convoy that caused the mishap,” Rambabu told media persons.

The former minister stated that Jagan is such a person that he would ensure that the injured person is admitted to the hospital before resuming the tour. “TDP-friendly media has been busy doling out false stories to dilute the success of our leader’s tour,” he said.

Rambabu, who has been booked for violating conditions laid down by police for Jagan’s visit, alleged that the coalition government is misusing police to settle political scores and indiscriminately file false cases violating all norms only to please their political bosses and resorting to intimidation besides working with the sole intention of trying to scuttle Jaganmohan Reddy’s public contact programmes.

The former minister said such acts will only strengthen our resolve to fight against the government and warned TDP leadership that they would not lose heart but will fight back the repression and the attempts at character assassination of YS Jaganmohan Reddy would result in a groundswell of support from the public.