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Four days after a 55-year-old man died after a car ran over him at a YSR Congress Party rally in Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur district, a disturbing video has surfaced showing that he was crushed under a car in which former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy himself was travelling.
Jagan was taking out a rally from Tadepalli to Rentapalla in Palnadu district on Wednesday, June 18, to console the family of a YSRCP functionary who the party says ended his life due to alleged police harassment.
When the convoy reached the highway near Etukuru, a car ran over Cheeli Singayya, a plumber from Vengalayapalem village who had gone to attend the rally.
Initially, police had claimed that a white Tata Safari with the number AP 26 CE 0001, which was not part of the official YSRCP convoy but a private vehicle, had run over Singayya. However, the visual shows Singayya being crushed under the front wheel of a black car.
A large number of YSRCP cadres from various parts of Guntur, Palnadu, and surrounding districts had joined the rally to Rentapalla.
Jagan, who was in the passenger seat, was seen standing out of the car door, trying to greet supporters who had thronged to see him, as security personnel tried to control the crowd.
A couple of supporters were also seen standing on the bonnet of the car. People around the convoy were throwing rose petals and raising slogans in Jagan’s name. Much of the car’s windshield was also covered in rose petals.
Amid the chaos, the video shows Singayya fallen in front of the car, the front wheel running over him, crushing his neck. The car then came to a halt for a few moments, and Jagan was seen trying to engage with the unruly crowd. A few moments later, the car started to move again. It’s unclear from the video what happened to Singayya at that time.
Guntur Superintendent of Police S Satish Kumar had told the media that after the accident, Singayya was simply left aside and no one paid attention to him. “He was injured, but vehicles went on without stopping. Assistant Sub-Inspector Rajashekhar, who was on highway patrolling duty, took Singayya to the hospital where he was declared brought dead,” the SP said.
Singayya was trying to throw flowers at the rally when he fell down and a car went over his shoulder, the SP had said on June 18. He had said that a Tata Safari that was not part of Jagan’s convoy but a private vehicle had advanced by 50 m ahead of the convoy and run over Singayya.
“We gave permission for a convoy of 11 vehicles and another three vehicles. But around 35 to 38 extra vehicles were added without permission. Towards the end of the route, there was an unexpected crowd, with vehicles added on the way,” Satish Kumar had said.
Speaking to the media on Sunday, June 22, YSRCP leader and former state Minister Ambati Rambabu alleged that the TDP-led coalition government had failed to provide adequate security measures for the rally.
“The fabricated stories and the death of a person during YS Jagan’s Palnadu tour have been blown out of proportion and versions came out aimed at tarnishing the image of our leader. After the grand success of the tour, the police, under the instructions of higher-ups, tried to implicate YSRCP leaders in the case and backed out only after our intervention,” a statement from YSRCP said, still refuting media reports that it was Jagan’s car that ran over Singayya.
“The government failed to provide the required protection during YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s tour on one hand and tried to stop people from joining the rally. When a popular leader is on the move, the basic crowd management method of maintaining the circular rope was not ensured and his security was compromised,” Ambati Rambabu alleged.
Palnadu district police had imposed restrictions for the YSRCP chief’s visit, in view of a stone pelting during his recent visit to Prakasam district.
The police laid down the condition that no more than 100 people should accompany him. Only three vehicles, in addition to Jagan Mohan Reddy’s convoy, were allowed.
YSRCP had alleged that the government was trying to create hurdles for Jagan’s visit. It made it clear that the former CM would go ahead with his visit.
Police had erected 25 checkposts around Rentapalla and deployed a large number of personnel.
Following the stone pelting in Podili town of Prakasam district earlier in June, Jagan had accused CM Chandrababu Naidu of deliberately provoking people against his visit. He had visited Podili to meet distressed tobacco farmers seeking fair prices.
