Thousands of people turned out in Hadagali town of Vijay Nagar district to bid final goodbye to mentally challenged beggar who died after suffering serious injuries in a road accident. Huchcha Basya, 45, was hit by a bus on November 12. He was admitted to a hospital but could not survive. The mortal remains were taken for the funeral in a procession and photos and videos had gone viral on social media. Basya would take only Re 1 as alms from every person and return the rest of the money. According to reports, on November 12, Basya was hit by a bus after which he was admitted to a government hospital.
He died three days after he was admitted to the hospital. A local resident said after his death, several organisations, shopkeepers and residents came forward, pooled in money and arranged a procession for the funeral which was attended by close to a thousand people. “The residents of the town had a special bond with Basya and believed he would bring good luck to them. He used to address people as ‘appaji’ (father in Kannada),” a resident from Hoovina Hadagali said. Residents said he was well known in the town not just to residents but also to former Deputy Chief Minister late M P Prakash and former minister Parameshwara Naik.