The campaign for procuring special status for residual Andhra Pradesh took a  violent turn on Saturday with BMK Koti attempting suicide at a protest meeting in Tirupathi town about 700 km from here.

The  23-year-old youth, hailing from a village near the temple town of Tirupati, attended a protest meeting held by Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee  against the delay in granting special status and funds to residual state as per the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014. The Congress chose Tirupati because it was from this holy place that the then NDA Prime Minister Candidate Narendra Modi assured all possible help to residual AP, if voted to power.

The Chittoor district police  said  even as the  meeting was underway Koti  doused himself with petrol from a bottle he had brought and torched himself, demanding special status and blaming  both the state and center for injustice and delay. “He has received 70 burn injuries and his condition is serious,” said the police quoting hospital authorities at the Government Rua Hospital. However, later he was shifted to CMC in Vellore.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Chandrababau Naidu urged the youth not to resort to such hasty actions and ordered full medical aid to the man.