TNN
Hyderabad, Apr 16: Idolatry sometimes takes the form of insanity. An ardent follower of chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy sliced his tongue on Wednesday as an offering to God for the success of the latter in the coming elections.
C Mahesh, 30, from West Godavari district, resorted to this act at Venkateswara temple besides Satya Sai Nigamagamam at Srinagar Colony around 11.30 am. As the story goes, Mahesh came to Hyderabad on Wednesday morning and met his friend K Srinivas, an assistant sound engineer, at the temple. Both together offered prayers and later Srinivas came out of the temple and was waiting for Mahesh to come out.
When Mahesh did not join him, an impatient Srinivas went inside only to find people surrounding his friend lying down with a bleeding tongue.
Banjara Hills inspector Iqbal Siddiqui said Mahesh used a knife to cut off a part of his tongue praying that YSR should once again become the chief minister.
The obsessed fan of YSR in a note said he had slit his tongue earlier too on the eve of last elections on May 5, 2004, praying for YSR becoming the chief minister. And YSR did.
“I am cutting my tongue as an oblation to Lord Venkateswara praying that both YSR and his son Y S Jaganmohan Reddy should win with thumping majority,” he said in the note. He added that he himself conducted a survey which revealed that the Congress would win.
Mahesh was later shifted to the Osmania General Hospital by the locals from the temple. OGH resident medical officer (RMO) Dr Ashok Kumar Vaidya told TOI that Mahesh had lost the tip of the tongue and was unable to talk.
“He is suffering from a self-inflicted injury and requires immediate plastic surgery. In due course there is possibility of his regaining his speach,” Dr Vaidya said. In the hospital, Mahesh wrote down his answers to doctors’ queries as he was unable to speak.
Mahesh had worked in the Telugu film industry as an assistant director till 2004 and later moved to West Godavari and became an active member in the Congress party. Some method in the madness here.