SIDDIPET: Tensions flared up in Chittapur village of Dubbaka mandal on Thursday after a swimmer died during a rescue operation.
On Wednesday, a mother and her son died when their car fell into a well. Officials, while trying to recover the bodies, were using motors to pump the water out. They also sent expert swimmers into the well to tie ropes to the car, to pull it up with a crane. In the process, a rope got wrapped around the leg of one of the swimmers, Narsimhulu, as a result of which he drowned.
However, upon learning that Narsimhulu had drowned, a large number of villagers rushed to the spot and demanded that MLA Raghunandan Rao, who had arrived after the accident and then left, should return to the spot.
On Thursday, Narsimhulu’s body was retrieved and as it was being shifted to a hospital, his relatives and villagers present in large numbers stopped the act. They said they wouldn’t allow his body to be transported until justice was done to Narsimhulu’s widow and two children. The police then spoke to higher officials and promised a compensation of `6 lakh to the victim’s family, a double bedroom house and an outsourcing job for Narsimhulu’s widow.
The traffic on Dubbaka-Chittapur road came to a standstill due to the protest. After some time, the police assured the village elders that Narsimhulu’s family would be given whatever had been pledged. The protest was then withdrawn, and the body was shifted to a hospital.