Firing that wasn’t

Initial reports suggested that two senior political leaders from Telangana, Khammam MLA Tummala Nageswara Rao and a former MP Manik Reddy had “a narrow escape” when some unidentified persons “opened fire” at their vehicles from “a close range” on the Outer Ring Road (ORR) near Kollur village, Medak district, late on Tuesday evening.

Tummala was returning to the city after visiting his daughter in Kompally. The ‘shots’ were stated to have been fired at 7.10 pm by some youth lying in wait under a tree. There was damage to the windscreen of Tummala’s car. The MLA was initially under the impression that the car was hit by an iron rod. He was sitting in the front, while his PA Tilak and two others were sitting behind. It took five minutes for them to realise that their car was “fired at from a close range.” They then sped towards the city without venturing to stop anywhere en route.

Five minutes later, former Medak MP Manik Reddy also travelled on the same route in his vehicle. He had a similar experience. His car’s windscreens were smashed by a ‘bullet’. He also did not stop and rushed to city. Both the leaders then reported the happenings to the Cyberabad Police. The youth involved in the attack were reportedly ‘noticed’ by those accompanying the two political leaders.

All such speculative reports were grist to the rumour mills. It created a sensation, with media reports suggesting that ORR has become a hub for land ‘settlements’. One daily surmised that the land mafia were involved in the firing, as there were differences in a land deal worth Rs 125 crore. Some others gave the incident a T angle, while others connected it to the Samaikyandhra movement. The Ramachandrapuram police, which investigated the incidents, said that no firing whatsoever had taken place.

Scientists from the Forensic Science Lab (FSL) also say the same. “The preliminary investigation report given by the scientists at FSL says that no firing happened; it was only the pebble on the other side of road that hit as a projectile due to speeding vehicles in opposite direction,” said Ramchandrapuram SI Ravinder Reddy.The ‘firing’ theory gained currency because of the hole in the windscreen of one of the vehicles.

Acting on the complaint by Manik Reddy, a team of scientists from FSL (assistant director Dr Venkateswarlu and scientist Venkanna), along with the police, investigated and found the probable cause. The police ruled out the possibility of stone pelting, considering the road is 30-feet high and it is impossible to throw from below. They have dismissed the possibility of stone pelting by someone on the road, as none was spotted at that time.

What stones?

In the case of accidents and for patch works material is carried, some of which might have spilled. There are lorries carrying sand and gravel and these slip on to the road. Whenever a vehicle travels at a speed of say 120 kmph (common on ORR) and happens to ride on the sharp edge of a stone lying en route, it could become a projectile and hit anything or anybody in the opposite direction.

SI Ravinder Reddy told The Hyderabad Hans: “The news of firing on vehicles is false. We started investigation on Tuesday night and found sherds of broken glass on the road; we also took the statement from Manik Reddy at his house in Madhapur.

The team of forensic scientists found in their preliminary investigation that the vehicle was not hit by bullet and no one is responsible for this incident.”