Depressed After Trump Tested Positive for COVID-19, Indian Fan Dies of Cardiac Arrest

Bussa Krishna Raju, a 33-year-old Indian farmer from the southern Indian state of Telangana, a fan of US President Donald Trump, died from a cardiac arrest on Sunday, October 11. Krishna was fasting and praying for Trump’s recovery from coronavirus when he passed away. He suffered a cardiac arrest and was declared dead by doctors at a nearby hospital.

Last week, he uploaded an emotional video of him crying and talking about his love and devotion for Trump on his Facebook page.

“When he heard of Trump contracting the virus, he went into depression and wasn’t even able to eat properly,” Krishna’s cousin B Vivek, 25, told VICE News over the phone. Vivek said while Krishna was a school dropout, he tracked global politics through local news apps and channels. “He did not have any prior medical complications, but his health deteriorated when he heard about Trump being admitted to the hospital,” said Vivek.

Those in Krishna’s inner circle could trace his obsession with Trump to a hate crime in Kansas in February 2017.  A US Navy veteran had shot dead a Telangana-born software engineer. To show that Indians were still compassionate towards Americans, Krishna put a photo of Trump in the prayer room in his house.

Last year, in honour of Trump’s 73rd birthday, he spent almost INR 200,000 (US $2725) to erect a six-feet tall statue of the leader. He would routinely pour milk on the statue--a gesture many Hindus associate with God.

For Krishna, worshipping Trump could help improve India’s relations with the US, and also help the Indian cricket team win matches against Pakistan. “On the day of the India vs Pakistan cricket match, I saw him in my dream and thankfully India won the match. Since then, I have even kept Trump's picture as a wallpaper in my mobile," he told the news agency, ANI, last year.

Krishna’s family members told VICE News that he took the dream as a sign that he was destined to live and die worshipping Donald Trump.

“Krishna was in awe of the US President. He would regularly wear a Trump t-shirt and conduct charity drives for the less fortunate using Trump’s name,” multiple family members told VICE News.

He earned the name “Trump Krishna” in his  village and his residence came to be known as Trump House.

Krishna was keen to see Trump getting re-elected in the US elections due in November.

Krishna’s wife passed away while delivering his son, who now lives with his maternal grandparents.

In February this year, when Donald Trump visited India, Krishna was ecstatic and desperately wanted to meet his idol. “He travelled 88 kilometres (54 miles) from his village to Hyderabad, the state capital, hoping to get an appointment with Trump,” said Vivek.

Krishna’s family, friends and village residents are most upset by the fact that he did not get the chance to meet his idol.

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