Family was advised against Tirupati trip

Father of victim had opposed tour in the wake of T-protests

 The family of four from City, which perished in a freak accident on the outskirts of Palamaner town in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh in the early hours of Wednesday, had been advised against the trip to Tirupati in the wake of Telangana-related protests.

Venkatesh, the septuagenarian father of Sathyanarayana (52), said he had advised his son against making the trip.

“Tirupati is marred by bandh and anti-Telangana protests. But he did not heed my words of caution. He reasoned that only the public transport was hit and he could travel by his own vehicle and there would not be any problems,” Venkatesh recounted to Deccan Herald.

The family had left for Tirupati on Monday morning.

Sathyanarayana, his wife Mahalakshmi (45) and daughter Deepa Mala (23) were charred to death instantly when an accidental fire broke out in their Maruti Omni. The couple’s 27-year-old son, Prashanth Kumar, who was on the front seat, managed to break open the side window and jump out. Severely burnt, he was rushed to hospital. He succumbed to the injuries in the evening.

Mala, who was studying at J D Institute of Fashion Technology near UB City, was reluctant to leave for Tirupati as a fashion show was scheduled for Wednesday in the college. “But she was confident of returning in time and hence agreed to accompany them,” said Aishwarya, a friend of the family.

Sathyanarayana and Kumar were running Sri Venkatesh Textiles, a silk saree manufacturing unit. Kumar was a qualified mechanical engineer but he opted for the family business, according to Sathyanarayan’s younger sister, Yamuna. He opened a factory in Domlur and imported around 25 power looms. Under his stewardship, the business was modernised two years ago. Mala also wanted to join the business.

Murthy, a family friend, said he was the one who spoke to Kumar the last time. “He called me around 11:30 pm on Tuesday. He said the family wanted to leave for Bangalore in the afternoon itself but postponed it because of the shortage of fuel,” he told this newspaper, quoting Kumar.

“The bandh was hitting life hard. Kumar said he bought petrol in the black market and would start off in the early hours of Wednesday so as to reach the City in the morning.”

Sathyanarayana lived at a rented house in Wilson Garden for long before moving into the family house in Sampangirama Nagar.