
Hyderabad, Aug 10 (IANS) The government of Telangana has demanded stringent punishment for a man and his friend who ran over a medico with his car at a mall in Rajamahendravaram in Andhra Pradesh last week.
Telangana Minister for Animal Husbandry, Vakiti Srihari, visited Gandhi Hospital here on Monday to console the family members of K. Priyanka.
The mortal remains of Priyanka, who breathed her last on Sunday at KIMS Hospital in Secunderabad, were taken to Gandhi Hospital for postmortem examination.
The body will later be shifted to her native village Eklaspur in Telangana’s Jogulamba Gadwal district for last rites.
The minister said the government would extend all possible assistance to the family. He said Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy will take up the issue with his Andhra Pradesh counterpart N. Chandrababu Naidu to seek strong action against those who took the life of the young medico.
Srihari said harshest punishment to the guilty in this case would send a strong message and prevent such incidents in future.
Priyanka was pursuing Doctor of Medicine (MD) course at the GSL Medical College in Rajamahendravaram in East Godavari district.
The incident had occurred on the night of August 3 when two men, who were allegedly under the influence of alcohol, rammed their car into a scooty, causing grievous injuries to Priyanka, who was pillion-riding.
The 28-year-old was coming out of the mall with her friend Umesh when a speeding car rammed into the two-wheeler.
She was admitted to a local hospital and later shifted to a hospital in Hyderabad, where doctors had declared her brain-dead.
Police investigation revealed that the accused hit the scooty with the car thrice while trying to flee after assaulting mall staff.
According to police, the mall staff had not allowed Suravarapu Daswanth and Andrew Edwards into the mall as they were found drunk. The accused had an argument with the staff and assaulted them. When the mall security personnel tried to catch them, one of the two men drove the car in a rash manner and at a high speed, ramming the scooty at the mall’s gate.
After running over the medico with the car, the accused fled the scene.
The accused were later arrested and a case of attempt to commit culpable homicide was registered against both of them.
With the death of Priyanka, the police are likely to alter the Section to culpable homicide.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday announced financial assistance of Rs.20 lakh for the family.
Priyanka’s father Venkatesh met police officials in Rajamahendravaram to formally lodge a complaint and urged them to invoke stringent Sections to ensure harshest punishment for the guilty.
–IANS
ms/rad
