Police in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur district have initiated an investigation after a YSRCP follower was reportedly knocked down by the car of party president and former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday. Cheeli Singaiah, 55, was killed after he was run over allegedly when he slipped and fell on the road in front of the vehicle while attempting to shower flowers on Jagan. The front right wheel of the vehicle ran over the neck of the man, according to officials.
He was rushed to a local hospital by police and YSRCP cadres and then transferred to Guntur Government Hospital, but he succumbed to injuries on the way, said Guntur Superintendent of Police S Satish Kumar.
Earlier, it was believed that Singaiah was hurt after mounting a vehicle in Jagan's convoy and tumbling down, but footage of him being run over by the vehicle in which Jagan was riding has gone viral on social media. Singaiah was from Vengalayapalem village and had gone to welcome Jagan. The accident took place when Jagan was on his way back from Rentapalla village in Palnadu district. Former Andhra Pradesh CM went there to meet the family of a former sarpanch, who died by suicide allegedly due to harassment by the police. Singaiah "unfortunately fell down in front of the convoy and was run over", SP Kumar added.
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On the same day, another YSRCP youth, 30-year-old P Jayvardhan Reddy, fell and died in a scuffle of Jagan loyalists near Sattenapalli clock tower. He was brought dead to the Guntur Government Hospital.
Jagan's Palnadu visit had already generated controversy following a banner held up by a YSRCP youth, which triggered a police case and political blame game.
The placard, waved by YSRCP worker T Raviteja on Wednesday, read: "When YSRCP comes to power in 2029", and underneath that, "rapa narukuta". The Telugu phrases were in a line spoken by Allu Arjun in Pushpa 2. It means "cut them down, one by one".
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Palnadu police said they booked a case against Raviteja. Andhra Pradesh Home Minister V Anitha blamed Jagan for promoting such "violent" remarks. Jagan justified the placard as non-violent and asked, "So, now you can't even quote a line from a movie?"
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