Gangster-politician Suri shot in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD - Gangster-politician Suryanarayana Reddy alias Maddelachervu Suri, a key accused in former Andhra Pradesh minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader Paritala Ravi’s murder, was critically injured when unidentified assailants shot him here Monday.

The shooting took place at Road No.13 in the posh Jubilee Hills area Monday evening, police said.

Suri, a Congress leader involved in several criminal cases in the faction-ridden Anantapur district, was taken to Apollo Hospital, where his condition is stated to be critical.

Also an accused in the 1997 Jubliee Hills bomb blast case, he was released from jail a year ago.

Paritala Ravi, a former minister and leader of the state’s main opposition TDP, was gunned down in Anantapur town Jan 24, 2005, allegedly by the followers of Suri.

The factional rivalry between the families of Ravi and Suri recently hit the national headlines following the release of “Rakta Charitra”, a multilingual film by Ram Gopal Varma.

The movie starring Vivek Oberoi, Surya and Shatrughan Sinha in key roles, triggered a row with peace activists and NGOs opposing it on the grounds that it could lead to a fresh spell of violence.

Suri had earlier made an attempt to kill Ravi in 1997 at the Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad. Though Ravi escaped unhurt, 25 people were killed and many injured in the bomb blast.

Anantapur district is part of the backward Rayalaseema region, notorious for factional killings. Factions backed by political parties have been engaged in bloody battles for decades for supremacy in villages, especially in Anantapur district.

The faction members are notorious for the merciless manner in which they eliminate their rivals. More than 500 people have been killed in the factional violence over the past 15 years.