5 BJP activists injured while burning effigy

Warangal: BJP Warangal Urban district president Rao Padma Reddy and four other party workers sustained burn injuries during a protest organised at Ambedkar Junction in Hanam-konda on Monday, demanding justice to the family of the nine-month-old baby who was raped and murdered on June 19.

During the protest, the party workers burnt the effigy of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. During that process, one of the party workers brought a bottle of petrol and poured it on the already burning effigy resulting in a sudden blaze. Everyone ran away from the fire while clothes of some of the leaders, who were standing too close to the effigy, caught fire. Others immediately came to their rescue and put off the fire. All injured persons were rushed to hospital.

One of them, Mr Bingi Srinivas, suffered severe burns. Ms Padma sustained burns on her hands and leg while trying to run away from the fire. Three other party workers sustained minor injuries.

The BJP leaders blamed the police for the fire accident. They said the police tried to foil their plans of a peaceful protest and started dragging the party workers away and because of this scuffle, the party workers came closer to burning effigy and their clothes caught fire.