Vijayawada: Bezawada Srinivasa Rao, who attempted suicide demanding special category status for Andhra Pradesh over a week ago, succumbed on Thursday. Srinivasa Rao, who was from Nuziveedu, had attempted suicide by drinking pesticide in front of he tahsildar office on May 23. He was shifted to a hospital and was under treatment but his condition did not improve.
After his death, Pratyeka Hoda Sadhana Samiti convener Chalasani Srinivas visited the hospital and paid tribute to the victim. He called Srinivasa Rao’s death a “murder” by the Centre. Srinivasa Rao, who was a real estate consultant, had two children — a son, and a daughter he had got married recently.
On May 23, he left his home stating that he was going to his native village Sobhanapuram. After some time, he called up his friend and told him that he would be committing suicide at the tahsildar office. His friend rushed to the tahsildar office to try and stop him. However, the Agiripalli police said Srinivasa Rao’s wife had said that her family was facing severe money problems after her daughter’s marriage. Srinivasa Rao was depressed due to the financial crunch. However, the reason for the suicide was later attributed to the denial of special category status to the state.
