What  Did RTC Driver Srinivasa Reddy Say On His Death Bed?

Hyderabad: Just hours after a driver committed suicide, a conductor of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) hanged himself on and died here. However, in a heart wrenching video which was shared on social media the Khammam driver Srinivasa Reddy who was brought to Apollo Hospital in Hyderabad with severe burn injuries said on the death bed "all the 48,000 employees of the TSRTC should be happy".

Watch the video here:

It may be recalled that D Srinivas Reddy, who set himself afire in Khammam town and sustained critical injuries, breathed his last at the Apollo DRDO Hospital, where he was admitted late on Saturday.

The driver had resorted to the extreme step during a protest by TSRTC employees, whose indefinite strike entered the ninth day on Sunday.

In another incident that took place in Hyderabad's Karwan, Conductor Surender Goud, who was depressed over losing his job due to ongoing strike hanged himself at his house in Karwan on Sunday night. The conductor, who was associated with Ranigunj bus depot in the city, was worried over not receiving the salary for September and was unable to pay EMI for his house loan. The cheque he had issued towards paying the EMI had bounced. Surender Goud took the extreme step hours after TSRTC driver Srinivas Reddy succumbed to the burn injuries at a hospital here.

Driver Srinivas Reddy's son who tried to save his father was also badly injured , where both his hands were burnt till the elbows.

A picture of him trying to console his mother and where he was unable to hold the lady who was weeping inconsolably was shared on social media and evoked emotions among the netizens.

See the picture here:

Amid tight security, Srinivas Reddy's body was shifted to Khammam town, where his last rites were performed on Sunday night by his second son. In a plea to the remaining RTC protesters , his son urged them not to indulge in such drastic steps of committing suicide, where their family members would have to suffer.

Meanwhile, another driver of Khammam depot, Venkateshwara Chary, has attempted self-immolation. He poured petrol on himself but his colleagues and the police stopped him from taking the extreme step.

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of TSRTC employees unions has announced week-long protest programmes. It has also called for a state-wide shutdown on October 19.

With the Chief Minister directing TSRTC to restore 100 per cent bus services in three days, the TSRTC on Sunday issued a notification for recruitment of bus drivers, conductors and other employees on temporary basis.

Also Read: KK Congratulates KCR On RTC Strike