Man dies as drunks block path to hospital

HYDERABAD: A 52-year-old Chintalbasti resident died of a heart stroke that he suffered after a scuffle with four youngsters who were boozing outside his residence on Monday night. The police said that when the victim, K. Vidyasagar, who worked as a clerk at the Padmaraonagar post office, he is taken to a hospital, the drunks blocked his vehicle for about 10 minutes.

Vidyasagar was declared dead on Tuesday at a city hospital. The victim was a heart patient and was disturbed by the ruckus being created by the accused on the day of the incident, police said.

The police arrested the four accused persons, including a juvenile, on Wednesday. They are all students and cousins.

Police said that at about 11.45 pm on September 26, Vidyasagar asked the four persons to move elsewhere to drink. He threatened he would file a police complaint, following the accused thrashed him, the Saifabad police said.

After Vidyasagar returned home, he suffered a stroke. His son K. Shashidhar and nephew L. Lingam shifted him to their car and were transporting him to a hospital when they were allegedly waylaid by the drunk persons.

The gang did not allow the car to pass for about 10 minutes, questioning Vidyasagar for trying to stop them from drinking. On Vidyasagar’s family pleading with them for about 10 minutes, the gang allowed them to move. Upon arrival, the hospital declared that he had died. Shashidhar said. “My father was calm and never got into an argument. The youth were heavily intoxicated and I hold them responsible for my father’s death,” he said.

The accused were identified as Gaddam Akshith, Gaddam Rohit and Gaddam Nikhil. The fourth accused was not named as he is a minor.

The family members of the accused said that someone else might have created the nuisance and blamed the youngsters. “My nephew completed his graduation and works with a private firm. He never argues with elders. Someone else is pinning blame on him and others,” said Gaddam Naresh, uncle of Nikhil.

However, the police said that the CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts corroborated the allegations of the victim’s family.

“We have investigated the case, checked the CCTV footage and spoke to eyewitnesses. The youngsters were boozing in front of Vidyasagar’s house and they physically assaulted him,” Saifabad inspector K. Sattaiah said.

The four were booked under the Indian Penal Code for causing culpable homicide not amounting to murder and for wrongful restraint and produced in court.