Purchase of fake liquor from 'illegal shop' caused Kurnool bus fire deaths: YSRCP
Amaravati (PTI): The YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP on Sunday alleged that the Kurnool bus fire, which killed 20 people, was a "government-made massacre" caused by "spurious liquor sold at a illegal alcohol shop" in Kurnool district.
In the wee hours of October 24, the sleeper bus ran over a two-wheeler, which had already met with an accident, at Chinna Tekuru village in Kurnool district.
There were 44 passengers on the bus and several managed to escape.
The two-wheeler caught underneath the bus was dragged leading to the bursting of its fuel tank and subsequent fire.
The opposition party claimed that the biker Siva Shankar and Erri Swamy involved in the accident had consumed fake liquor at Lakshmipuram before the collision, leading to the chain of events that caused the bus fire.
"This Kurnool bus fire that claimed 20 lives is nothing but a government-made massacre driven by the sale of fake liquor in the district," said the YSRCP in a press release. It demanded that the NDA coalition government must pay Rs 1 crore compensation to each bereaved family and take criminal action against Excise Minister Kollu Ravindra.
The YSRCP maintained that the police probe had already traced the source of the biker's intoxication to the illegal belt shop and asserted that the deaths were a 'consequence of government negligence'.
Citing earlier alcohol seizures, the opposition party alleged that fake liquor units have been busted in Mulakalacheruvu, Ibrahimpatnam, Repalle, Anakapalli, Nellore and Eluru regions and alleged that no sealing or arrests followed.
The party further alleged that one in every four liquor bottles sold in the state is fake and claimed that the racket was worth more than Rs 5,000 crore.
The opposition party further claimed that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu was responsible for the mishap.
YSRCP alleged that the government had turned Andhra Pradesh into an "ATM -- Any Time Liquor" state, where belt shops (illegal alcohol shops) operate unchecked even along national highways, contributing to accidents caused by intoxicated drivers. Meanwhile, there was no immediate reaction from the ruling TDP.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
