Ex-AP speaker Prasada Rao found dead; suicide suspected

Hyderabad: In a suspected case of suicide, senior TDP leader and former Andhra Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kodela Siva Prasada Rao died here on Monday, police said.

Based on eye-witness accounts, Rao was suspected of having committed suicide, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West Zone) A R Srinivas said without elaborating.

Replying to questions, he, however, said it could be confirmed only after post-mortem.

The 72-year old leader was last month slapped with a criminal case by the Andhra Pradesh police for alleged illegal possession of furniture of the assembly.

He is survived by wife, two sons and a daughter.

Rao was rushed to the Basavatarakam Indo-American Cancer Hospital in an 'unresponsive' state from his house here around 11 am, but died without responding to efforts to revive him, the DCP and the hospital said.

"The family members are telling that he was under stress for the past few days, but the reasons for it are still not known," the DCP said.

The hospital in a release said Rao was brought at 11.35 am "in an unresponsive state". As per protocol, resuscitative measures were initiated immediately.