The bus driver everyone loved: TGSRTC employee’s death leaves family with no home, no income
Shankar Goud, 50, committed suicide on Thursday evening at the Narasampet Bus Depot in Warangal, on the second day of the TGSRTC employees' strike to press for a host of demands.
“He was jovial and courteous, always smiling and making friends with strangers. Daily commuters on his bus loved him. He frequently drove from Narsampet to Srisailam and back. Everyone he picked up along the way would greet him; he knew everyone and made new friends daily,” said Bura Suman, son-in-law of K Shankar Goud.
Goud, 50, committed suicide on Thursday evening at the Narasampet Bus Depot in Warangal district on the second day of the TGSRTC employees’ strike to press for a host of demands. Suman said that Shankar, with his friendly nature, approached a group of private bus drivers at the Narsampet depot and politely asked them to join the strike rather than oppose it by continuing to drive private buses. “He received a rude reply. I think my father-in-law did not expect that kind of behaviour. He went to other employees who, I think, told him to ignore them. He told them that he felt bad that their strike for the greater benefit of all the employees was being jeopardised and decided to take the extreme step to force a solution,” Suman said.
Goud was an award-winning driver with over 25 years of experience. “He was rewarded several times for punctuality and dedication to his work. There was never a negative review or a complaint against him,” an official said. The Narsampet-Srisailam route was his favourite because it is scenic and he loved the long journey, a co-worker said. Shankar would also get short-distance route duty on some days, plying in Warangal or nearby districts.
He is survived by his wife Hemalatha, 45. His eldest daughter, Shamili, is married to Bura Suman, a small businessman, while Shankar’s son Hemanth is in his final year of college. “With my father gone, there is no source of income. We will be out on the roads soon,” Hemanth said. The devastated and heartbroken family gathered at Muthojipeta village, 4 km from Narasampet, at his native village for the funeral, even as tensions ran high.
“They do not even own a house of their own, so we brought the body to my house in the village,” his son-in-law Suman said. Goud lived in a modest rented house on Tower Road but ensured that his daughter and son received a good education. “Except for his meagre salary, they had no other income,” Suman said. During the Telangana movement, Goud participated in many agitational programmes, his friends said.
On Thursday evening, after pouring petrol on himself and setting himself on fire, he was rushed to the DRDO hospital, where doctors said he suffered 80 per cent burns and was on ventilator support. He succumbed early Friday. As his body was brought to Muthojipeta village, a tense situation prevailed in spite of heavy police presence. Police allowed the family to take the body to the village for the last rites and not to any other place. Hundreds of angry and mourning TGSRTC workers descended on the village, raising slogans and demanding justice from the government. Their demand to take the body to the Narsampet bus depot for a few minutes was declined by the police, which further escalated the situation. A confrontation was ongoing between the police and workers who were sitting on the road and chanting slogans against the police and government. The workers said that the funeral would take place only after the body was taken to the bus depot for a few minutes, resulting in a stalemate.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy expressed shock over the suicide and said his family will receive all possible support from the government. He reiterated that the government is holding discussions with RTC workers and working to resolve their demands.
Sreenivas Janyala is a Deputy Associate Editor at The Indian Express, where he serves as one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political and economic landscape of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. With a career spanning over two decades in mainstream journalism, he provides deep-dive analysis and frontline reporting on the intricate dynamics of South Indian governance.
Expertise and Experience
Regional Specialization: Based in Hyderabad, Sreenivas has spent more than 20 years documenting the evolution of the Telugu-speaking states. His reporting was foundational during the historic Telangana statehood movement and continues to track the post-bifurcation development of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Key Coverage Beats: His extensive portfolio covers a vast spectrum of critical issues:
High-Stakes Politics: Comprehensive tracking of regional powerhouses (BRS, TDP, YSRCP, and Congress), electoral shifts, and the political careers of figures like K. Chandrashekar Rao, Chandrababu Naidu, and Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Internal Security & Conflict: Authoritative reporting on Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), the decline of the Maoist movement in former hotbeds, and intelligence-led investigations into regional security modules.
Governance & Infrastructure: Detailed analysis of massive irrigation projects (like Kaleshwaram and Polavaram), capital city developments (Amaravati), and the implementation of state welfare schemes.
Crisis & Health Reporting: Led the publication's ground-level coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic in South India and major industrial incidents, such as the Vizag gas leak.
Analytical Depth: Beyond daily news, Sreenivas is known for his "Explained" pieces that demystify complex regional disputes, such as river water sharing and judicial allocations between the sister states. ... Read More
