Co-passengers shared CM's Cuddapah links

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, whose damaged helicopter was traced 40 nautical miles east of Kurnool on Thursday morning, was known as the 'Tiger of Cuddapah.'

A four-time member of the state legislative assembly from Pulivendla in Cuddapah, YSR was a doctor by profession with a degree from nearby Gulbarga University and practiced medicine for a while in Cuddapah district before opting for a career in politics.

Principal Secretary, Andhra Pradesh, Dr P Subrahmanyam, 56, and the chief minister's security officer A S C John Wesley, who were travelling with him aboard the ill-fated helicopter on Wednesday, also have connections with Cuddapah.

Subrahmanyam, an Indian Administrative Service officer of the 1983 batch and has a post graduate degree in economics, was the collector of Cuddapah from 1992 to 1993 and from 1994 to 1995.

John Wesley retired as the deputy superintendent of police of Warangal. He had earlier been the district supply officer for Cuddapah in 2004.