'RRR' star Jr NTR pained over fan’s death, seeks investigation

'RRR' star NT Rama Rao Junior termed the death of his fan Shyam — which has snowballed into a big issue in the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh — as very painful. The actor conveyed his condolences to Shyam's family.

In a statement on June 27, the Telugu actor said not knowing how and under what circumstances he died is heartbreaking. Jr NTR requested the authorities to immediately conduct a probe into Shyam’s death.

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

Jr NTR’s statement came hours after N Chandrababu Naidu, former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh and president of the state's opposition party, the Telugu Desam Party, demanded a thorough probe into the death.

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

The 23-year-old unemployed youth was found hanging. However, several people have raised suspicions. 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 video recorded by Shyam surfaced on June 27.

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.

In March this year, the young man had pushed past security persons to hug Jr NTR at a film event in Hyderabad.

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. A video of the incident went viral on social media.

Several TDP leaders have demanded a thorough probe into Shyam's death. 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 [YSR Congress Party, the party governing Andhra Pradesh] 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.