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The couple of other hundred who
also died
WSN Bureau
HYDERABAD: In
almost inexplicable series of tragedies, all buried under the flood
of news about the Andhra Pradesh CM's death in a chopper crash, a
number of people seem to have taken their own lives, some thing not
entirely unknown to have happened in southern India earlier too.
TV channels in
the South also seemed to have added to the hysteria wuith
releantless mourning for YSR Reddy and reported that hundreds died
"due to the demise of their much-loved leader."
Sakshi TV, owned
by the late CM’s son YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s family, reported more
than 200 deaths due to heart attacks and suicides.
The reports
prompted Jagan Mohan to make a public appeal to supporters to desist
from committing suicide. “He (YSR) always wanted us all to be happy.
We should be strong at this moment. Such attempts would only hurt
him wherever he is,” he said.
Though Sakshi TV
downplayed reports of deaths due to shock at YSR’s demise and
suicides later, most other channels, with the exception of ETV2,
widely seen as pro-Telugu Desam Party, were highlighting what they
said were dramatic developments.
Jyotirmaya
Sharma, a professor of political science and an authority on Andhra
politics, said, “Extreme emotional responses are common in this part
of the country, where people are very sentimental. There is enough
public sentiment after YSR’s death.”
The police could
not confirm the authenticity of the reports.
9
September 2009
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