The revived Telangana statehood agitation has taken a new turn with a spate of suicides being reported from across the region despite political parties pleading with the youth not to resort to such a drastic step.
In the latest instance, a tribal youth attempted suicide in Nalgonda district, while another youth in the city succumbed to burns yesterday after battling for life for three days. In all as many as five incidents of suicide have been reported during the week.
S Srikanth of NTR Nagar in Hyderabad, who set himself ablaze on Wednesday last, died at the Osmania Hospital here while the tribal youth, Suresh, a truck driver, attempted to commit suicide by dousing with kerosene and setting himself afire in his house at Bandavath Thanda of Kondrapaka village in Damacherla mandal of Nalgonda district yesterday. He raised slogans in favour of Telangana while torching himself. Though people around him doused the flames, he suffered 40 per cent burns and was currently undergoing treatment in Miryalaguda town. His condition was stated to be stable.
With the death of Srikanth, four people including one from Medak district and two from Warangal, had sacrificed their lives for the separate statehood during the last few days.
—UNI