HYDERABAD: Kura Suresh, who was accused of murdering Abdullapurmet tahsildar Ch Vijaya Reddy by setting her ablaze at her office on Monday, succumbed to the burns he sustained during the incident, at Osmania General Hospital (OGH) on Thursday. After battling for life for 72 hours, he was declared dead at 3.25 pm by the OGH doctors.
“I did not have any enmity with her (Vijaya Reddy). I did it out of pain that injustice was done to my family,” were Suresh’s last words in the hospital. Doctors treating him suspect that after setting Vijaya Reddy ablaze, he could have immolated himself. None of his relatives could speak to or even see him while he was undergoing treatment. He is survived by his wife Latha, and two children, Manaswi, a Class IV student, and Charan, a Class II student.
Doctors stated that Suresh had more than 60 per cent burns on his body when he was admitted to the OGH on Monday. He showed signs of improvement till Wednesday, but the situation took a turn for the worse on Thursday. Though he was moved to life support at 7 pm, his condition deteriorated and he breathed his last at 3.25 pm, they said.
Amidst high security, the post mortem examination was conducted on his body, after which it was handed over to his father Kura Krishnaiah at Osmania mortuary. The body was shifted to his native village Gourelli with a police team escorting the vehicle all the way through. Additional forces were deployed at Gourelli village as a precautionary measure, in view of Suresh’s death and final rites.
Meanwhile, his wife Latha, who was waiting outside the Burns’ Ward at Osmania General Hospital (OGH), fainted after doctors announced her husband’s death. She was admitted to the emergency ward and was later discharged after being administered first aid. Suresh’s mother Padma alleged that from the time he was admitted to the hospital, they were not even allowed to see him for a moment. The police and hospital staff did not allow them inside.
“We do not even know why he did this. We were only told that he was admitted with burns, but we did not get a chance to see him till the last moment,” said Padma.
It was found that Suresh had mortgaged the gold ornaments of his wife and mother for issues related to the disputed land. He had even borrowed up to Rs 5 lakh from different people for the purpose, but could not succeed, after which, he had left his family, said a relative.
Speaking to Express after receiving the body, Suresh’s father Krishnaiah said that on Monday, Suresh left home as usual at around 9 am. Though there was an issue pending over land, he added that he did not understand why Suresh decided to take such an extreme step.
Meanwhile, Rachakonda police have expedited the investigation in the case. So far, they have recorded statements of at least five persons who were related to Suresh. It has been learnt that while none of them could give any details about the exact motive behind the attack, they did explain the land issue between them and a group of farmers. Based on the statements, the police are gathering more evidence.
State intelligence wing begins probe into murder
The intelligence wing of the state government on Monday, initiated a parallel investigation into the murder of tahsildar Ch Vijaya Reddy. The wing will specifically look into the involvement of persons other than the key accused Suresh, and also identify their motives, if any. While the Rachakonda police have formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the case, the intelligence officials are also keeping a close eye on the incident and collecting details related to it, especially the delay on the part of revenue officials in the matter