Cong MP escapes from hospital; police searching for him

Police are on the lookout for Congress MP L Rajagopal, who escaped from a city hospital where he was admitted after being brought from a hunger strike site over the Telangana issue.

The Vijayawada MP last night walked out of the hospital room and got into a waiting car as hundreds of Congress workers mobbed the 300-odd police personnel and facilitated his exit from the hospital.

Rajagopal, who was in the Government General Hospital for three days, was insistent that he be admitted to the NIMS Hospital in Hyderabad, police said.

The MP has been on an indefinite hunger strike for the last nine days in protest against the proposed bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. He was forcibly evicted from the camp four days ago and shifted to the hospital.

He had refused to take any medical help though doctors said his condition was deteriorating.

State Human Rights Commission had directed that he  be shifted to NIMS immediately.

However, the state government did not comply with the SHRC order as it feared that his admission to NIMS might cause a law and order problem in the state capital in the wake of protests by Telangana supporters.

Krishna district administration wanted to shift the MP to NRI Hospital at Mangalagiri, 15 kms away from here, sources said.