A tragic turn of events has marked the ongoing Telangana RTC strike, as Narsampet depot driver Kola Shankar Goud (55) of Warangal district, who attempted self-immolation during a protest on Thursday, succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at Apollo DRDO Hospital in Hyderabad on Friday early morning, triggering widespread tension across the state; the incident occurred on the second day of the RTC employees’ strike, when Shankar Goud allegedly poured petrol on himself and set himself ablaze during a protest at the Narsampet depot, sustaining over 80 percent burns before being shifted from Narsampet to MGM Hospital in Warangal and later to Hyderabad for advanced care.
Family members confirmed his death and said he was a native of Khanapur who had been living in Narsampet for over three decades, leaving behind his wife, son, and daughter, while his daughter Shyamili appealed to the government for financial and moral support to the family; the incident has drawn political attention as Minister Ponnam Prabhakar visited the injured worker earlier and instructed doctors to provide advanced treatment, while BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao reportedly spoke to the family over the phone and assured them of support.
Following the death, the RTC Joint Action Committee called for a bandh in the erstwhile Warangal district, holding the government responsible for the incident and intensifying protests, with workers staging demonstrations and obstructing private bus services at depots; authorities, meanwhile, heightened security and deployed emergency medical services across RTC depots as a precautionary measure to prevent further escalation.
In a related incident, another RTC driver from Miryalaguda depot in Nalgonda district, Ravula Venkanna, reportedly attempted self-immolation by pouring diesel on himself during a protest over alleged government inaction, but was immediately prevented by police and fellow workers, averting a major tragedy, even as the statewide strike continues amid rising tensions and unresolved demands.