Church mourns after Christian chief minister dies in air crash

Bhadrapad Krushna Ekadashi, Kaliyug Varsha 5111

Hydrabad (Andhra Pradesh): Church people in Andhra Pradesh have expressed shock and dismay over the death of Andhra Pradesh’s chief minister in a helicopter crash.

The office of the Indian prime minister announced the death of Yeduguri Sanmuel Rajasekhara Reddy on Sept. 3, a day after he was reported missing. He was 60.

Reddy, a Protestant, was on his way from Hyderabad to the remote village of Chittoor to launch a new program in villages and to check on the progress of other development programs.

He was traveling with two bureaucrats when communication with his helicopter broke off an hour after take-off.

Search teams recovered five bodies including the pilot and co-pilot from the wreckage.

"It is a very sad moment for the Church," said Archbishop Marampudi Joji of Hyderabad who heads the Catholic Church in the state. The prelate said the entire Christian community in the state "deeply grieves" over the tragic death of Reddy, who he said had worked hard for the poor.

"On behalf of the Andhra Pradesh Bishops’ Council, I express my condolences to the Chief Minister’s family," he said.

The archbishop told UCA News that all churches and religious houses in the state would hold special prayers for "the repose of his soul."

Archbishop Joji also recalled his long association with the late politician. In May, Reddy and the archbishop traveled to New Delhi to press the federal government to grant statutory benefits to dalit (former "untouchables" in the Indian caste system) Christians.

Christian groups have pressed successive governments to grant rights to Christians of low-caste origin.

Father Anthoniraj Thumma, director of the ecumenical Andhra Pradesh Churches Federation, said the news of Reddy’s death had shocked him and other Christian leaders in the state.

"It is a big loss for the Church and the state," he told UCA News, and added that Reddy had introduced various schemes to empower women and the poor in the state. "He had a great vision for the development of the state and the Church," Father Thumma added.

Reddy had also helped Christians by subsidizing pilgrimages to Jerusalem, a scheme that the state’s High Court later scrapped.

After Reddy’s disappearance, the administration launched a huge search operation, deploying more than 10,000 security personnel and thousands of civilians as well as helicopters and fighter planes.

The other victims included Reddy’s secretary and chief security officer.

Reddy had led the Congress party to victory in the state legislative assembly elections held in April this year.