Hyderabad: Relatives Protest at Gandhi Hospital Over Ajay's Death

Angry family members refused to sign the postmortem documents and demanded to meet Bharatiya Janata Party state president G Kishan Reddy.

Hyderabad: Protests Break Out at Gandhi Hospital Over Drowning Death of 21-Year-Old S Ajay

Protests erupted at Gandhi Hospital in Secunderabad on Wednesday, January 29, as family members and friends of 21-year-old S Ajay demanded justice for his tragic death. Ajay drowned in Hussain Sagar lake during the 76th Republic Day celebrations in Hyderabad.

Ajay was aboard one of the boats that caught fire due to firecrackers during the Republic Day festivities. In an attempt to save himself, he jumped into the lake but tragically drowned. His body was recovered on January 28 after a 45-hour search. The Hyderabad Disaster Response Assets Monitoring and Protection Agency (HYDRAA) disaster response force (DRF) successfully retrieved his body from Hussain Sagar around 6 pm.

Ajay's body was brought to Gandhi Hospital for a postmortem, but his angry relatives refused to sign the postmortem documents. They also demanded a meeting with Bharatiya Janata Party state president G Kishan Reddy. Carrying posters of Ajay, the protesters chanted slogans like “Kishan Reddy down, down” and “We want justice.”

The protests coincided with the Bharata Matha Maha Harathi event, organized by the Bharath Matha Foundation at People’s Plaza on Necklace Road. G Kishan Reddy and Telangana Governor Jishnu Dev Varma attended the event, and after the Arathi ceremony, Kishan Reddy reportedly approved the fireworks program. The Secretariat station house officer (SHO) later stated that a preliminary investigation suggested the fireworks were set off from a distance, and the crackers possibly hit the boats, leading to the accident.

In addition to Ajay, 35-year-old fireworks expert Ganapathy also died due to severe burn injuries sustained during the event. He passed away the following day at Yashoda Hospital. Three others were also injured with minor burns and were discharged the same day.

Ajay, a resident of Hanuman Temple Lane in ECIL, was pursuing a Bachelor of Engineering program at the time of his death.