Tension in Chittoor’s Rangampeta: Villagers allege attack by Mohan Babu’s goons

TIRUPATI: Tension prevailed in Rangampeta of Chittoor district on Saturday night when the followers of veteran Telugu film actor Mohan Babu allegedly tried to attack MPTC B Chandra Reddy and deputy sarpanch Monish over a land dispute.

According to reports, the villagers of Rangampeta found six miscreants roaming in the village carrying petrol cans, knives and sticks. One of the miscreants, Hemanth, who was wearing a mask and brandishing a knife, was caught and thrashed by the villagers before he was handed over to the police.

Responding to the issue, MPTC B Chandra Reddy said that Mohan Babu had tried to choose some land in the village for establishing a dumping yard to dispose of the waste coming from his educational institutions. However, Mohan Babu was informed that a decision on the land allotment to his educational institutions would be taken only after discussing the matter in gram sabha.

However, after thorough deliberations, the villagers passed a resolution stating that the land should not be allotted to Mohan Babu as it belonged to the villagers. The administrators of Mohan Babu University have identified 35 cents of land in Nagapatnam survey number 10/2. In February 2023, the villagers sought the details of the land under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. It is revealed that the land belonged to one Gunasekhar Reddy. Since then, the university administrators had developed a grudge against the villagers, the MPTC alleged.

The MPTC further said that earlier the university administrators also tried to attack them. However, the elders in the village had settled the issue and prevented the villagers from lodging a complaint with the police. Suspecting some work was progressing on the land, once again the villagers had filed an RTI with the survey number and available details in the name of Gunasekhar Reddy. With the intention of preventing them from getting those lands, the university administrators had tried to attack them, he claimed.

Chandra Reddy said that Hemanth, who was caught and handed over to the police in Saturday night’s incident, had threatened him at knife point but stepped back after noticing people charging at him. A few others who accompanied Hemanth in a four-wheeler were also found to be carrying lethal weapons with them. After the villagers caught Hemanth, he revealed that they were asked by one Sunil Chakravarthy to set Chandra Reddy’s car on fire.

He further disclosed that Mohan Babu University PRO Satish had asked him to send the pictures of the MPTC and deputy sarpanch besides the car once it was burnt down. The PRO even transferred Rs 3,000 to Hemanth through Phonepe, the MPTC alleged.

Upon receiving the information about the incident, a team of police personnel from Chandragiri rushed to Rangampeta. SI Vamsidhar took Hemanth into custody and recovered weapons and petrol cans from the other members of the gang. Later, the MPTC in his complaint to the police expressed the fear that he had a threat to his life from Mohan Babu, university PRO Satish and Sunil Chakravarthy and sought protection from the police.