Jr NTR pained over fan’s death, seeks probe

Popular Tollywood actor Jr NTR on Tuesday termed the death of his fan Shyam as very painful. He conveyed his condolences to the family of Shyam.

In a statement, the actor said not knowing how and under what circumstances he died is heartbreaking. Jr NTR requested the government authorities to immediately conduct a probe into Shyam’s death.

The actor’s die-hard fan allegedly died of suicide on June 25 in Andhra Pradesh’s East Godavari district.

Jr NTR’s statement came hours after Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president and former chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu demanded a thorough probe into the death of Shyam under suspicious circumstances.

Naidu took to Twitter to demand an impartial probe as hashtag WeWantJusticeForShyamNTR was trending on the microblogging site.

The 23-year-old unemployed youth was found hanging. However, several people have raised suspicion over the cause of death. Photographs of Shyam’s body went viral on social media.

Netizens doubted the police version that it was a suicide and alleged that somebody murdered him and made it look like suicide. However, a selfie video recorded by Shyam before committing suicide surfaced on Tuesday.

In the video, he could be seen apologising to his parents. The youth said he had no interest in taking up a job and hence he was ending his life.

The young man had pushed the security persons to hug the actor at a film event in Hyderabad in March this year.

After attending the event, Jr NTR was walking off the stage, surrounded by several security persons. Suddenly, a person (Shyam) pushed the security persons and hugged Jr NTR from behind. The fan looked very emotional. While the actor’s security tried to pull the fan away, Jr NTR stopped them. The actor hugged the fan. The video had gone viral on social media. It was widely shared during the last few hours along with the hashtag WeWantJusticeForShyamNTR.

Several TDP leaders have demanded a thorough probe into the death of Shyam. Party president Chandrababu Naidu wrote, “Deeply saddened by the tragic and untimely demise of Shyam in Chintaluru, EG District. The suspicious circumstances surrounding his death are alarming. I strongly urge for a thorough investigation into this matter, ensuring justice is served. It has been alleged that YSRCP members are involved. Their involvement must be probed impartially. Let's ensure transparency prevails and justice is served.”

“Pained to learn about the suspicious death of unemployed youngster Shyam. Deepest condolences to his family & friends. A thorough investigation without any bias is needed, even if it involves YCP leaders as alleged by locals. We will fight until justice is delivered to Shyam,” tweeted Naidu’s son and TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh.