23 Killed In Andhra Blast, Mohan Babu Among 20 Injured

Twenty three persons were killed and another 20 seriously injured in a powerful blast that shook the Jubilee Hills area of the city this morning.

The injured include Rajya Sabha member and cine star Mohan Babu and Telugu Desam legislator from Anantapur district, Partala Ravi. It is suspected the blast was directed at Ravi, a Rayalaseema faction leader. Both Mohan Babu and Ravi are rebel Telugu Desam leaders.

The explosives, including gelatin sticks, were stacked in a stationary car and were remote blasted while Mohan Babu and Ravi were coming out of the Rama Naidu studio after attending the muhurat of a new film.

 

A vehicle of the Eenadu Television ( E-TV) carrying a five-member crew ahead of the car in which Ravi and Mohan Babu were travelling was blown to smithereens. All the five crew members died on the spot.

Director general of police H J Dora told Business Standard the explosion was very powerful and very well planned and executed. Forensic experts were collecting material and the investigation had been handed over to the CID., he said.

The Fiat, in which the explosives were hidden was blown to pieces. Only parts of its engine was found several metres away from the blast site. The E-TV vehicles was also reduced to a piece of mangled steel.

Mohan Babu, who was recently expelled from the Telugu Desam Party, had returned to the city after a night-long shooting schedule at the Ramojee Film City. He was to act as well as coproduce the yet to be titled film with Ravi. Producers Rama Naidu and Dasari Narayana Rao, who also attended the muharat, had stayed back in the studio.

Partala Ravi, represents the Penukonda constituency of Anantapur district of Rayalaseema. The involvement of the infamous warring factions of Rayalaseema in the incident is being looked into.

In the absence of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, home minister Madhav Reddy visited the blast site.