KTR slams Revanth govt over RIMS Adilabad infant deaths
Synopsis
BRS working president K. T. Rama Rao has attacked the Revanth Reddy-led Congress government in Telangana, calling it criminally negligent after five newborns reportedly died in a fire at RIMS Adilabad, and dismissing the official rat-chewed-wiring explanation as shameful deflection.
Key Takeaways
Five infants reportedly died in a fire at the neonatal ward of RIMS Adilabad , a government hospital in Telangana.
KTR rejected the official explanation that rats chewing AC wiring caused the fire, calling it an attempt to escape accountability.
He alleged that CM Revanth Reddy prioritises private hospital interests over public healthcare maintenance.
KTR termed the inquiry report a 'fake report' meant to shield those responsible rather than deliver justice to the bereaved families.
The BRS has consistently used governance and healthcare lapses as a political lever against the Congress government since the December 2023 Telangana election.
Five newborns are dead, and BRS working president K. T. Rama Rao is demanding answers — pointing directly at what he calls the 'criminal negligence' of the Congress-led Telangana government after a fire tore through the neonatal ward of RIMS Adilabad on Tuesday, 13 October 2026.
Rats in the neonatal ward — and a fire that followed
The official explanation emerging from the state health machinery pointed to rodents gnawing through AC wiring as the trigger for the blaze. KTR was having none of it. Writing in Telugu, he called the claim 'ఇంకా సిగ్గుచేటు' — 'even more shameful' — arguing that the very presence of rats in a newborn care unit was itself a damning indictment of hospital upkeep. That rats could then chew through live electrical wiring without anyone noticing, he said, only deepened the failure.
His post asked bluntly: 'When five infants have lost their lives in a horrific fire at RIMS Adilabad, will you escape responsibility by citing rats?' The rhetorical charge was aimed squarely at the state administration for, in his framing, hiding behind a technical excuse rather than owning an institutional breakdown.
KTR's sharpest allegation: private hospitals versus public neglect
The most pointed line in the post was a direct swipe at Chief Minister Revanth Reddy: that the attention the CM gives to his own private hospital interests is conspicuously absent when it comes to government health facilities. KTR wrote that because of this, public hospitals in Telangana lack even basic maintenance and oversight, trapping them in a 'cycle of problems.' He labelled the inquiry report a 'fake report' designed to shield the guilty rather than serve the bereaved families.
The allegation escalates what has been a consistent post-2023-election BRS strategy — using governance failures in healthcare, infrastructure, and public administration to frame the Congress government as negligent stewards of Telangana's institutions.
Families of five infants — and an inquiry under scrutiny
KTR closed with a warning rooted in cultural weight: that the grief and fury of the families of those five children would catch up with the Congress party. The phrase he used — 'ఆ పసికందుల కుటుంబాల ఉసురు తగలడం ఖాయం' — translates roughly as 'the curse of those infant families will surely strike,' invoking a moral reckoning beyond the political.
The Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Adilabad is a government-run tertiary hospital in Adilabad district, one of Telangana's northern districts. Official inquiry findings, any announced compensation, and administrative action by the state health department are now the pressure points to watch.
Point of View
KTR moves the charge from systemic failure to individual accountability, which is politically harder to deflect. The 'fake inquiry report' framing is designed to pre-empt any whitewash and keep opposition pressure alive until official findings emerge. Whether the state health department's eventual response substantiates or counters the negligence narrative will determine how much political traction this incident yields for BRS.
NationPress
13 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened at RIMS Adilabad that KTR is reacting to?
A fire reportedly broke out in the neonatal ward of RIMS Adilabad, a government hospital in Telangana, resulting in the deaths of five newborn infants. KTR has attacked the state government over the incident.
What was the official reason given for the RIMS Adilabad fire?
The official explanation, as referenced in KTR's post, was that rats chewed through AC electrical wiring, causing the fire. KTR called this explanation 'shameful' and a bid to deflect responsibility.
What did KTR say about CM Revanth Reddy and hospitals?
KTR alleged that Revanth Reddy pays close attention to his own private hospital interests but neglects government hospitals, leaving them without basic maintenance or oversight.
What is RIMS Adilabad?
RIMS Adilabad stands for Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Adilabad — a government-run tertiary hospital located in Adilabad district in northern Telangana.
Is BRS in power in Telangana?
No. BRS lost the December 2023 Telangana assembly elections to the Indian National Congress, which now governs the state under Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. BRS is currently the principal opposition party.
