HYDERABAD: A government teacher died in a fire reportedly caused by a lit cigarette in the Kodad mandal of Suryapet district.
According to local residents and police, Dharavath Balaji (52), a native of Mangali Tanda in the mandal, was working as a teacher at the government school in Chennakeshavapuram, Nadigudem mandal.
On the occasion of Sri Rama Navami, Balaji’s wife and two children had gone to her parental home. Left alone, he consumed alcohol and went to sleep on a cot placed outside while smoking a cigarette. In a state of intoxication, he dozed off without extinguishing the cigarette.
The cigarette fell onto the bedding, triggering a fire. The flames intensified due to the air from a cooler nearby. As there was no one in the vicinity and Balaji was under the influence of alcohol, he sustained severe burns and died in the fire on the spot.
Rural SI M. Anil Reddy confirmed that a case has been registered based on a complaint lodged by Balaji’s wife, Shailaja.
