Rajahmundry: Fifty-year-old Sundarapu Durga Prasad, who had set himself on fire in August, died while undergoing treatment at the government hospital at Eluru on Friday. Durga Prasad used to run a small hotel located between Kaikaram and Chebrole. His daughter, Nikhila, had done her schooling in Hyderabad from Classes VI to X. Later, the family had shifted to Tadepalligudem in West Godavari, where she completed her intermediate education from the Open University and later B.Ed. from a private college in town.
In the aftermath of the state’s bifurcation, Ms Nikhila had applied to appear for the DSC exam to be conducted by the TS government but her application was not accepted as she was slotted as a non-local. However, Prasad had approached the High Court and had got an order in her favour and she had appeared for the DSC exam.
As the results were not being announced, Mr Prasad felt that his daughter might not get the job after all for her being a non-local. Depressed, he had poured kerosene over himself and set himself alight on August 26.
He was shifted to the area hospital at Tadepalligudem with severe burns and later to several hospitals including in Hyderabad. He finally succumbed to his wounds on Friday. On October 14, AP CM Chandrababu Naidu had written to Union home minister Rajnath Singh stating that Durga Prasad, who had shifted to West Godavari from Hyderabad, had taken the extreme step as his daughter was unable to get a job due to the domicile rule.
