BHUPALPALLY: Jayashankar Bhupalpally District Transport Officer (DTO) M Venkanna was killed in a road accident on Monday morning after a coal-laden truck allegedly hit him while he was on duty outside the Regional Transport Office (RTO) in Bhupalpally.
The accident occurred on the Bhupalpally-Ghanpur highway under the limits of Ghanpur police station. According to Superintendent of Police Sirisetti Sankeerth, Venkanna had reportedly alighted from his official vehicle and was regulating traffic to facilitate the entry of a seized harvester into the RTO office premises when the accident took place.
A coal-laden truck belonging to Marl Transport and heading towards the GENCO plant allegedly hit the officer. Police said the truck was being driven by Mohammed Tasleem. Venkanna sustained severe injuries and died on the spot.
According to Ghanpur sub-inspector B Ashok, Venkanna and RTO staff were conducting vehicle checks when the speeding truck allegedly hit him from behind. The truck has been seized and shifted to the police station, while the driver has been taken into custody.
Police are examining all possible angles, including whether the driver was under the influence of alcohol and other factors that may have contributed to the accident, Sankeerth said.
Soon after the accident, Sankeerth and Deputy Superintendent of Police A Sampath Rao rushed to the spot and reviewed the situation.
Venkanna, 45, was a native of Maripeda mandal in Mahbubabad district and was residing in Hanamkonda. He had been transferred from Jagtial to Jayashankar Bhupalpally district around 20 days ago.
His body was shifted to the district government hospital for a postmortem.
A case has been registered and further investigation is underway.
State govt orders probe
Expressing shock over Venkanna’s death and assuring support to his family, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy directed Joint Commissioner (Transport) M Chandrasekhar Goud to conduct a comprehensive probe and submit a report.
Shortly afterward, Special Chief Secretary Vikas Raj appointed the JTO as the inquiry officer to investigate the incident and submit a report to the government. He has also been tasked with recommending measures to improve the safety of transport department personnel during road enforcement duties and prevent similar incidents.
Transport minister Ponnam Prabhakar expressed grief over the death of the officer, who lost his life while discharging his official duties, and assured the family of all possible support from the state government.
Meanwhile, BRS leader T Harish Rao raised questions over the circumstances surrounding the accident and demanded a comprehensive investigation.
“Will they crush and kill those who stand in the way of sand and coal mafia with lorries? A comprehensive probe must be conducted,” he said in a post on X.
