WARANGAL: K. Shankar Goud, a 55-year-old driver who set himself ablaze during the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation employees’ strike on Thursday, succumbed to his injuries early Friday morning while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Hyderabad. Goud, who sustained between 60 to 80 percent burn injuries, passed away despite an emergency "green channel" transport from Warangal intended to facilitate life-saving surgery.
Shankar, a native of Muthojipet in Narsampet Mandal, has plunged the region into further turmoil. Following the arrival of his body in his native village at dawn on Friday, local unions declared a total bandh in Narsampet Town. Heavy police contingents have been stationed outside the Narsampet RTC depot to contain a large gathering of workers whose grief has turned into a volatile demonstration against the state government.
The tragedy began during a demonstration on Thursday, when Goud, a driver at the Narsampet depot, suddenly doused himself in petrol and set himself on fire in full view of his colleagues. The incident triggered immediate chaos, leading to a road blockade on NH-565 that disrupted traffic across the Khammam–Mahbubabad–Warangal route. While police and medical officials, including Warangal Collector Dr. Satya Sharada and Police Commissioner Sunpreeth Singh, had initially hoped his condition had stabilized following his transfer to Hyderabad, the severity of the burns proved fatal.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy expressed profound shock and grief over the passing on Friday, promising full state support to the bereaved family. He maintained that the government remains committed to resolving the grievances of RTC employees through sincere dialogue.
However, political tensions remain high as opposition leaders, including former minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao and former MLA Peddi Sudharshan Reddy, have held the administration directly responsible for the driver's desperate act, citing a failure to address long-standing employee issues.
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Bandi Sanjay Kumar, visited Muthojipet on Friday morning to offer condolences to Goud’s family. As the village prepares for the final rites, the heavy police presence remains in place across Narsampet to prevent further scuffles between protestors and law enforcement, similar to the confrontations that broke out immediately following Thursday's immolation bid.