Mohan Babu, Paritala Ravi injured, 23 killed in bomb

[AMARENDRA B NETTEM]

At least 23 persons, including a six-member team of a
private TV network, were killed and 23 others including
film star Mohan Babu, MP, and Telugu Desam MLA,
Paritala Ravi, were injured in a powerful explosion outside
a film studio on the city outskirts on Wednesday. The
blast, suspected to be targeted at Ravi, a faction leader
from Rayalaseema region, was set off with a remote
control device while he was returning after mahurat and
shooting of his new Telugu film at Rama Naidu studio
at Jubilee Hills.

The massive explosion ripped apart three vehicles
killing 23 persons including crew of TV channel ‘ETV’, the
State Director General of Police H J Dora told
reporters at the blast site. Mohanbabu and Ravi, who were
travelling in a jeep, escaped with minor injuries. The
MP received injuries on his chin while Ravi was being
operated upon for nose fracture, the DGP said. The
police suspect that powerful explosives, planted in a
stationery Fiat car, could have been detonated with a
remote control device when the convoy of vehicles,
carrying followers of Ravi and Mohan Babu along with
TV crew, was passing by, about a kilometre from the film
studio.

The impact of the blast was so devastating that some of
the bodies were flung into the air and fell into the houses,
about 150 metres away. The blast site wore a ghastly
look with charred bodies trapped in smouldering vehicles
and pieces of human flesh and limbs strewn all around.
Some vehicles parked in nearby houses were also
damaged. Some neighbouring houses were also damaged due
to the blast.

Among the dead were six-member ETV crew — producer
Jagadish Babu, cameraman Gangadhar Raju,
assistant cameramen Srinivas and S Krishna, assistant
director Rajasekhar and driver Chandrasekhar Reddy.
This was the first time that such an operation was
carried out by faction rivals in the city, the City Police
Commissioner Mr R P Singh told reporters.

“This appears to be an extension of faction rivalry of
Anantapur district (where Ravi hails from). It has history of
bomb blasts targeted against rivals. But, never in the
past has an explosion of this magnitude occurred,” Singh
said.
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