SANGAREDDY: After yet another RTC workers passed away on Thursday, severe tension prevailed in Jogipet as a huge gathering of workers, politicians and public assembled outside his home.
The deceased, identified as P Nageshwar, had suffered a mental shock after Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s announcement to dismiss all striking RTC employees if they did not return to work by November 5. He failed to recuperate, despite being treated at several hospitals, and passed away on Thursday.
“At the end of the day, all problems will be resolved, but I have lost my husband forever. Is the CM thinking about the families who have lost their bread earners during this strike,” asked Sujatha, Nageshwar’s widow.
As news of his death spread, hundreds of workers from Sangareddy, Medak and Narayankhed depots reached his residence.
They wanted his body to be kept at the Narayankhed depot. However, they were denied police permission. Even before they could reach his home, a heavy police deployment was in place.
The workers were not allowed to take Nageshwar’s body out of the ambulance in which it arrived. So the workers, along with family members sat on a protest outside the ambulance, raising slogans against KCR and the government.
The protest went on for four hours even as the body remained inside the ambulance.
After repeated attempts to pacify the protesters failed, the police informed their higher officials, and the local MLA Chanti Kranti Kiran.
The MLA immediately sent Rs 50,000 from to the family and raised the matter with the government. Soon after, the announcement was made that the family of the deceased would get Rs 5 lakh ex gratia, a job and a 2BHK house, following which the workers withdrew their protest.