Petrol price hike pushes driver to set auto on fire in Telangana's Hanamkonda

Srinivas reportedly decided to set fire to his auto to end the torture he was being subjected to by the loan sharks.
For representational purposes (Photo | EPS)
For representational purposes (Photo | EPS)

HANAMKONDA : Financial difficulties fuelled by the hike in petrol prices pushed an auto-rickshaw driver to set fire to his vehicle at Kaloji Junction in Hanamkonda on Saturday, August 28, 2021. The driver Srinivas, who is a resident of Gundlasingaram village, parked his auto by the main road, doused it with petrol and set it ablaze, leaving passersby and commuters shocked. The fire service was alerted and tenders were rushed to the spot to tame the flames. The incident occurred under the Subedari police station limits.

The auto-rickshaw that was set
ablaze by its driver in Hanamkonda

Speaking to the media afterwards, Srinivas said that he had taken a loan for the auto-rickshaw from a private financing company in 2020. “I was unable to repay the monthly loan instalment on time due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The financing firm kept threatening me to repay the money. Now, with fuel prices skyrocketing, I’m not getting any income. This has affected my livelihood,” he said, adding that he decided to set fire to his auto to end the torture he was being subjected to by the loan sharks. Subedari Inspector A Raghavender, however, said that a case has not been registered over the incident.

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