New Delhi: Former Andhra Pradesh assembly Speaker Kodela Siva Prasad Rao – who was found hanging at his Hyderabad home today – was murdered, his nephew has said.
The police, who after initial investigation said it appeared to be suicide, have now filed a case of “death in suspicious circumstance”
A veteran Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader and a doctor by profession, Rao was 72 years old. Rao had worked as a cabinet minister in government’s headed by N.T. Rama Rao and N. Chandrababu Naidu before being elected as the first speaker of the bifurcated Andhra Pradesh state.
NDTV reported that Rao was taken to Basavatarakam Indo American Cancer Hospital in Hyderabad, where doctors confirmed his death. As the health minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh, Rao was instrumental in the hospital’s establishment.
While initial reports claimed that the death was by suicide, local media quoted family members as saying that Rao was found hanging. Police have not confirmed the cause of death yet and are awaiting the post-mortem report. He is survived by his wife, son and daughter.
According to The News Minute, TDP’s Telangana president N. Ramana said there were “injury marks” on Rao’s neck. “However, the true cause of the death will be revealed after the police conduct an autopsy,” he said.
TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu said on Twitter that Rao’s death is a huge loss to the party and the people. He extended his sympathies to the former speaker’s family. Andhra Pradesh chief minister Jaganmohan Reddy and his Telangana counterpart K. Chandrasekhar Rao also expressed their grief over Kodela’s death. Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu also condoled the death.
Chief Minister Sri YS Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed grief over the death of former Andhra Pradesh Assembly Speaker Sri Kodela Siva Prasada Rao and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family members.
— CMO Andhra Pradesh (@AndhraPradeshCM) September 16, 2019
Rao was born in Kandlagunta village of Guntur district in Andhra Pradesh. He obtained an MBBS from Guntur Medical College and a postgraduate degree from the Banaras Hindu University in general surgery. He joined the TDP in 1983. A six-time MLA, Rao held several important portfolios such as health, home and panchayat raj in the Rama Rao and Chandrababu Naidu governments.
Some TDP leader laid the blame for his death on the ruling YSR Congress party’s doorstep. A case was registered against Rao and his family members in late August after he confessed to ‘moving’ furniture and computers from the Andhra Pradesh assembly premises to his residence in Guntur. The former speaker denied any wrongdoing, saying he had moved the furniture for safekeeping.
TDP leaders claimed that the police’s “hounding” in the case drove Rao to take his own life. According to an Indian Express report, a TDP leader said Rao “fell ill” after the police case was filed against him. “Due to all kinds of allegations against him and his family members, he was alienated within the family and from TDP leadership,’’ the leader said.
If you know someone – friend or family member – at risk of suicide, please reach out to them. The Suicide Prevention India Foundation maintains a list of telephone numbers they can call to speak in confidence. You could also accompany them to the nearest hospital.