An ongoing feud between members of the Manchu family, known for their work in films, political connections, and general media presence, blew up on December 10 when the patriarch of the family, Mohan Babu, attacked a journalist from TV9 Telugu. The reporter, Ranjith Kumar, suffered three fractures on the cheekbone that extends till the outer side of the eye socket, according to his employers. 

Noting that Ranjith was only doing his job by covering the incident, and did not do anything provocative, TV9 Telugu’s managing editor Rajinikanth Vellalacheruvu has demanded that the police arrest Mohan Babu. 

“We want a proper apology from Mohan Babu, we want the police to charge him with attempted murder and arrest him, and we want the government to bring in dedicated legislation for the protection of journalists in such instances,” Rajinikanth told The News Minute. 

While the Pahadishareef police had initially booked Mohan Babu under section 118 (1) (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, they later added the attempt to murder charge under section 109, Inspector of Police P Guruva Reddy said. 

How a family feud caught public attention

Actor and former MP Mohan Babu has three children. Manchu Vishnu and Manchu Lakshmi were born to his first wife Vidya Devi. After her passing, he married her younger sister Nirmala Devi, and they had a son named Manchi Manoj. The ongoing dispute is ostensibly over inheritance, scuffles between family members and security personnel, and Manoj accusing Vishnu of mismanaging their family-run educational institutions. Mohan Babu and Vishnu are one one side, warring with Manoj. 

News of the feud first came to light on December 8. “We didn't even follow this news properly for the first two days. Only when Mohan Babu and Manchu Manoj filed police complaints against each other did this become a public issue and our channel started following it,” Rajinikanth said. 

Mohan Babu attacked Ranjith on the night of Tuesday, December 10, when he was covering the family dispute. He had entered Mohan Babu’s Jalpally residence in Shamshabad on the outskirts of Hyderabad, along with several other mediapersons, as Manoj forcibly broke down the gates and entered the premises. Manoj had alleged that he was not being allowed to meet his seven-month-old daughter who was inside the house. 

Explaining the circumstances in which Ranjith entered the premises, Rajinikanth said, “Manoj barged into the premises while continuing to address the media, asking them to accompany him. He must have thought it was better to enter with media support, since security personnel were present. The mediapersons followed him inside, with the TV9 reporter ahead of the others,” he said. 

“According to the visuals and what Ranjith narrated, after Manoj barged in, Mohan Babu’s security staff manhandled him. Ranjith was interviewing Manoj when Mohan Babu started moving towards Manoj aggressively, and Manoj moved away. On seeing Mohan Babu, Ranjith placed the mic in front of him and asked him what had happened. That is when he grabbed the mic and hit him, completely unprovoked,” Rajinikanth said. 

Amid demands for an apology from journalist groups, Mohan Babu has been admitted to a hospital with complaints of body pain and high blood pressure. 

Meanwhile, Vishnu held a press meet, in which he said that it wasn’t his father’s intention to hurt anyone. “Visuals show how [Manoj] broke down the gate and entered…Someone shoved a mic in [Mohan Babu]’s face, and in the heat of the moment, he attacked him. It wasn’t intentional. We spoke to the journalist’s family. It’s an unfortunate incident, we all feel sad for it.”

Rajinikanth said that Vishnu didn’t even apologise properly on Mohan Babu’s behalf. “Even murders happen in the heat of the moment. That’s no excuse. We expect a proper apology. We want Mohan Babu arrested.”

‘Not intruding in family matter’

Rajinikanth also contested Vishnu’s narrative that the mediapersons had trespassed on private property, and were intrusively covering a personal family matter. 

“Initially it may have been a personal issue. But once they filed police complaints, considering that many of the family members are celebrities, and that there are already major property disputes in political families in Andhra and Telangana, there is naturally interest among the public over this, which is why we went to look into it, and the drama blew up,” he said. 

Mohan Babu was formerly a member of the Telugu Desam Party, and later joined the YSR Congress Party in 2019. Vishnu’s wife Viranica is a cousin of former Andhra Pradesh chief minister and YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. Manoj’s wife Bhuma Mounika is also from a political family. Her sister Bhuma Akhila Priya is a TDP MLA. 

Reacting to Vishnu blaming the media for showing excessive interest in their family matters, Rajinikanth accused both sides of the Manchu family of leaking visuals to influence the media narrative. “On December 10, visuals from within their houses, of Mohan Babu’s security staff assaulting Manoj’s security staff, and another employee’s video, were leaked. The two factions within the family have been providing visuals to the media and feeding the narrative themselves, but are now blaming the media,” he said. 

Members of the Manchu family, especially Mohan Babu, Vishnu, and Lakshmi, have often remained in the public eye. They are also often trolled on social media for making what are seen as self-absorbed statements. Mohan Babu has a reputation for inappropriate, abusive behaviour, and was reported to have assaulted Vishnu’s co-star for refusing to kiss him for a scene in a movie, back in 2003. 

In an audio message attributed to Mohan Babu addressed to journalists and Manoj that was released just before the attack, Mohan Babu reprimanded Manoj for allegedly assaulting workers in his house. He said, “In the film industry, they say that Mohan Babu hits and abuses people. That might have happened during shootings, but not with employees at home.”

Referring to Mohan Babu’s reputation for a short temper, Rajinikanth said, “Around 10-12 years back, Mohan Babu had wielded a gun at a TV9 journalist while covering an issue that he took objection to. Vishnu pacified him and took him away.” Police have seized licensed guns from Mohan Babu and Manoj following the attack on Ranjith. 

“Considering their family's history, we had told our reporters to handle the issue carefully, since they can be aggressive. Ranjith only went in because Manoj called them in, otherwise they wouldn't have entered their premises,” he reiterated. 

Ranjith has undergone a surgery and is now out of danger. The injuries on his face are quite serious and doctors have said he needs about a month to heal, Rajinikanth said. 

Rajinikanth also called upon the government to introduce legislation dedicated to the protection of journalists, along the lines of the Prevention of Violence Against Healthcare Professionals Bill. “Unlike doctors, journalists don’t have strong support networks to rally behind them in case of attacks. The government must bring in a Journalist Protection Act with strong legal safeguards,” he said. 

According to a 2022 report, Telangana ranked second after Jammu and Kashmir in terms of harassment of journalists by state agencies, non-State political actors and criminals, and armed opposition groups during that year. During its second term in power, the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi government had arrested four journalists and detained 40 in connection with different cases. The current Revanth Reddy-led Congress government has filed cases against journalists and arrested them over content that was critical of the government. 

This report is republished from The News Minute as part of the NL-TNM alliance. Click here to support our work and join the army that pays to keep news free. 

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