Boy who acted like 'Rebel' granted bail

Gudur: The boy who attacked a car driver allegedly under the influence of a cinema 'Rebel' was granted bail on Saturday. Everyone who heard about the incident detested the bad influence of cinema on youth and children. A Class VI student had asked an Innova driver for a lift the outskirts of Gudur town on Friday. After going some distance, the boy whipped out a blade and attacked the driver. He slashed the driver's throat and cut off his three fingers also. As the injured driver brought the vehicle to a halt, the boy alighted and started fleeing. However, the driver's screams attracted the attention of onlookers who nabbed the boy and took him to police. During the police questioning, he initially claimed he was kidnapped by the driver and he tried to escape by attacking him. On persistent questioning, he spilled the beans. The boy finally revealed his innate desire to do a heroic act much like the protagonist in the film and said there was no other reason. He said he just wanted to enact a kidnap and rescue drama. The startled police presented him before the juvenile judge who granted him bail. Meanwhile, doctors attended to the injuries on the driver and stitched up the severed fingers. Service and Support, an NGO, stated that the incident was a pointer to the deep influence of the cinema on the young minds and its director N Muneendra Reddy stressed the need to censor violence and sex in the most powerful medium to prevent recurrence of such events. Courts also should take up such cases suo motu and direct the film industry to follow certain norms with regard to depiction of violence, he added.