A case has been booked against Prajarajyam chief Chiranjeevi, Dalit writer Kathi Padma Rao, his son Chetan and others at the Sanjeeva Reddy Nagar police station on Friday night for their role in the controversial inter-caste wedding of the writer’s son.
Megastar Chiranjeevi was booked for "conniving with others in kidnap, wrongful confinement and criminal intimidation".
Chiranjeevi attended the marriage of Padma Rao’s son Chetan with Nalini, a 24-year-old engineer belonging to an upper caste, at Film Nagar club on August 30.
The wedding triggered a controversy after the bride’s parents Tammina Subba Rao and T Mani alleged that their daughter was kidnapped and forced into the wedlock at the behest of the actor and his fans.
Nalini’s parents also alleged that when they tried to stop the wedding ceremony, held as per Buddhist rituals, they were confined to a room and were released only after the ceremony was over.
“When we went to Rao’s house in Erramanzil Colony, he confined us in another house in the same locality for three days,” they told the police. They also alleged that a person who identified himself as C.N. Rao and that he was a DSP had even threatened them with dire consequences, if they insisted on knowing the whereabouts of Nalini.
Inspector D. Pratap of SR Nagar station said the complainants, however, did not mention how they escaped from the confinement. under sections 366 (kidnapping to compel a woman for marriage), 344 (wrongful confinement) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of Indian Penal Code.
The complaint was lodged a day after the girl’s parents met Home Minister K Jana Reddy and Leader of Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu and sought their help in tracing out their daughter. The home minister advised them to lodge a complaint with the police.
They also filed a petition with the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) alleging that they were confined in the house of C.N. Rao, and that despite a complaint, no action was being taken. The SHRC called for a report from Panjagutta ACP on the episode.
Police were in a state of dilemma till Saturday evening whether to book a case against Chiranjeevi or not. Late in the evening, they booked a case against the Prajarajyam chief and his fans for conniving with other accused in the case.
However, Nalini strongly denied the charge of kidnapping or forceful marriage. Appearing before the media with her husband and father-in-law, she declared, "I am an adult and the law gives me the right to take my own decisions on marriage. I have married on my own accord. Nobody abducted me or forced me to marry," she said.
Nalini said that she had to go against the wishes of her parents as they were unhappy about her marriage with a Dalit boy. Denying any role of Chiranjeevi in her marriage, Nalini said, "Chiranjeevi sir attended the marriage and blessed us. He had no other role".
But the parents said that during her recent visit to her home town, Nalini had got engaged to another boy of their choice and had come to Hyderabad to bring back her belongings. The parents also met Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu for help, but he said he needed time to study the case before taking any action.
Nalini, an engineering graduate from West Godavari district, was employed in the city and stayed in a hostel at Ameerpet.
Ironically, Chiranjeevi’s second daughter Srija eloped to marry Sirish Bharadwaj in October last year and publicly accused her father of being a threat to her husband’s life.
Prakala Prabhakar, the official spokesperson of Praja Rajyam, refused to comment on the case.
Meanwhile, a team of Samajwadi party leaders led by general secretary Amar Singh is scheduled to meet Chiranjeevi in Hyderabad on Sunday, amidst speculations that the SP was trying to forge an alliance with the party. The SP team will also include Jaya Prada and Jaya Bachchan.
Prabhakar, the official spokesperson of Praja Rajyam, said, "As our party has been recently launched, they are coming to greet our party leader and discuss the political situation. It will be a courtesy call".
But when his attention was drawn to Amar Singh’s statement in Delhi that Praja Rajyam and Samajwadi party will work together, Prabhakar said that the leaders could discuss the political situation in the country.
When asked how the two parties could work together when SP was an ally of the Congress at the Centre and Praja Rajyam was pitted against the Congress in the state, Prabhakar said, "Chiranjeevi will keep all these points in mind".
Praja Rajyam has also announced an ex gratia of Rs five lakh to the kin of each of the four victims who were killed in Kakainada, while celebrating the formation of the party by Chiranjeevi last month.
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