Chandrababu Must Apologise for Murder: YS Jagan After Jaundice Claims Two Lives

The death of two students, following a jaundice outbreak at the tribal welfare residential girls’ school in Kurupam, Parvathipuram-Manyam district has triggered an alarm in Andhra Pradesh.

The incident has drawn severe backlash from the YSRCP against the ruling TDP alliance.

The issue surfaced when 41 students reported health problems after they returned to the school after Dussehra vacation.

The deceased have been identified as Anjali Puvvula (Class 8) from Kambagoodu village and Toyaka Kalpana (Class 9) from Dandusooru village.

Water contamination due to a faulty RO unit has been blamed for triggering the jaundice outbreak. While 600 students have been screened, 120 cases of viral fever or jaundice. Of the total, 37 students with severe symptoms were shifted to King George Hospital (KGH) in Visakhapatnam.  

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), YSRCP president and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy launched a scathing attack on Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, holding his administration responsible for the death of the two tribal girl students.

In a strongly worded post, Jagan accused Naidu of “criminal negligence” and “utter indifference” towards government-run schools, alleging that poor maintenance and official apathy led to the tragedy.

“Because of your negligence and lax governance, poor students are dying today. Yet you show no mercy,” Jagan wrote, tagging Naidu’s official handle @ncbn.

Calling the incident a “shameful reflection” on the state administration, the former Chief Minister demanded an immediate ex gratia of ₹25 lakh each to the bereaved families.

Jagan also claimed that the Naidu government had “destroyed” the public education system built under the YSRCP administration, accusing it of prioritizing private interests over the welfare of students.

Terming the tragedy “government sanctioned murders” YS Jagan alleged, “After you (Chandrababu Naidu) and your son (Nara Lokesh) took charge, government schools have been systematically dismantled. Even basic facilities like safe drinking water are being neglected.”

The YSRCP chief reminded that during his tenure, several reforms, including the Amma Vodi scheme, digital classrooms, English-medium instruction, and infrastructure upgrades, had turned government schools into “temples of learning.” He charged that under the current TDP-led government, “even maintenance of RO plants and hostels has become a casualty of corruption and carelessness.”

YS Jagan demanded Chandrababu Naidu to take responsibility for the tragedy and apologise to the affected families. “At least now open your eyes and immediately focus on the health of the children and the facilities in their schools,” he advised Chandrababu Naidu.