Chiranjeevi fans attack Rajasekhar and family

Irate fans of mega star Chiranjeevi on Monday chased, attacked, and injured fellow actor Rajasekhar, his wife Jeevita, and their two kids for a comment made about their hero's entry into politics.

This is not the first time that Chiranjeevi's ‘fans' have taken the law into their hands and attacked ‘rivals' of their idol. However, the attack on Rajasekhar and his family in front of the office of the Assistant Commissioner of Police in Panjagutta is a new low even for them.

In a bizarre re-enactment of the kind of sequences seen in Tollywood films, Chiranjeevi ‘fans' chased Rajasekhar's vehicle in four cars and attacked him and his terrified family with stones injuring them.

The actor had commented the other day had that he would not join Chiranjeevi's proposed political party "because he has no experience in politics". This was enough to arouse Chiranjeevi ‘fans'.

Rajasekhar, Jeevita and their children were treated at Apollo Hospital in Jubilee Hills.

THEY WERE FOLLOWED

Chiranjeevi fans had been stalking them right from Guntur. They entered the Narsapur Express in which the family was travelling but could not locate them. Once they got to know that Rajasekhar had reached Hyderabad and was going towards his house in a car, they chased him.

They not only attacked the actor and his family but also filmed the attack and brazenly handed over the footage to TV channels.

She added that however much the ‘fans' loved Chiranjeevi, they should never have acted like this. "My husband didn't say anything about Chiranjeevi's party," she said. "He simply expressed his opinion. Whoever instigated the fans has to be brought to book."

Later in the day, megastar Chiranjeevi went to Rajasekhar's house and apologised on his behalf and on behalf of his ‘fans'. He termed the attack "unfortunate" and waited for over an hour at Rajasekhar's residence since the couple had gone for a recording in a TV studio.

"Rajasekhar has only expressed his own opinion and my fans should not have taken the law into their hands," said Chiranjeevi. "Their aggression was unwarranted. I am very sorry about the incident. Rajasekhar is like my brother and I urge my fans not to be unruly."

Rajasekhar is planning to meet the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, to request for more security cover to his family. A police picket has already been set up in front of his house.

The attack on Rajasekhar took an immediate political turn with the Greater Hyderabad Congress chief Danam Nagendar visiting the actor's residence and expressing solidarity. Minister for Housing, Mr Botsa Satyanarayana, also turned up at the actor's bungalow.

In the train, it was the bodyguards of Maganti Venkateshwara Rao, minister for minor irrigation, who saved Rajasekhar from the irate ‘fans'.

In Chittoor, Telugu Desam activists staged a protest against Chiranjeevi expressing solidarity with Rajasekhar, who had supported the party in the last polls. However, in other parts of the state, Chiranjeevi's ‘fans' burnt the effigy of Rajasekhar.

Actor Mohan Babu, who has also faced the ire of Chiranjeevi fans, called on Rajasekhar and Jeevita and expressed anguish over the incident. "I have come as a friend and not as a representative of the film industry," he said. "The attack on Rajasekhar has caused me a lot of pain. In a democracy, every person has a right to express his or her opinion without any fear. What if someone from the family had got seriously injured?"