Paritala Ravindra

Born	August 1958 Venkatapuram, Anantapur district, India
Died	24 January 2005(2005-01-24) (aged 46)
Residence	Anantapur district, India
Occupation	MLA, Former AP Cabinet Minister
Spouse(s)	Paritala Sunitha

Paritala Ravindra (Telugu: పరిటాల రవీంద్ర; 30 August 1958 – 24 January 2005), popularly known as "Paritala Ravi", was an Indian politician and one of the most popular leader in andhra Pradesh.

He was a former cabinet minister in Andhra Pradesh and a sitting Member of the Legislative Assembly when he was slain by his political rivals in 2005. He started as a communist in the footsteps of his father who donated his lands to poor people and later entered electoral politics by joining the Telugu Desam Party. He was elected five times as Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from the Penukonda constituency in Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh.

Early life

Paritala Ravi was born to Sri Ramulu and Narayanamma couple in Venkatapuram, Ravi's father, Paritala Sreeramulu, was a Naxalite leader close to Kondapalli Seetharamaiah, supremo of the then-monolithic People’s War Group. That was until Gangula Narayana Reddy, a factionist and Congress MLA, and Sane Chenna Reddy, another factionist who later became a Congress MLA, had killed Sriramulu in 1975.^[1] Ravi was 17 years when his father was killed. Ravi and his brother Paritala Hari escaped that attack.

After losing his father and brother, Ravi wanted to take shelter to protect himself from his rivals. He went to his maternal uncle, Kondaiah, in Seerpi Kottaala village of Uravakonda constituency to take shelter. He married his uncle's daughter Suneetha in 1986 and took up cultivation. Ravi was one of the prime accused in the murder of Gangula Narayana Reddy, Narsanna and Yaadi Reddy.^[2]

After Narayana Reddy was killed, Ramachandra Reddy of the Telugu Desam Party became MLA from Penukonda in 1983 and 1985.In the 1989 elections, the Congress formed the government in the state. Sane Chenna Reddy became MLA of Penukonda by defeating Ramachandra Reddy of the TDP. Ravi wanted to take revenge for his father's and brother's deaths. He joined hands with communists (Naxalites). Naxalites had their own ulterior motives to help Ravi and so plotted against Chenna Reddy. Sane Chenna Reddy, who was conspirator in his father's and brother's deaths was killed in Kannumukkala village in 1991. By-elections were conducted and Ramana Reddy, son of Chenna Reddy, became MLA in 1991.

People's War Group (P.W.G) expelled Kondapalli Seetharamaiah from the party. He split P.W.G into two. One was P.W.K.S group. Potula Suresh who shot Chenna Reddy was an active member of this group. This group again split into two. One was "Redstar" and other was "Re-Organising committee" (ROC). Potula Suresh was head of ROC and Sudarshan was head of the Redstar. Redstar was favourable to Chenna Reddy's sons and Surya Narayana Reddy (Gangula Surya Narayana Reddy/Maddelacheruvu Suri), son of Gangula Narayana Reddy. ROC worked for Ravi. There was armed struggle between these two groups and many people were killed as a result of this conflict.

Assassinations

Death

Paritala Ravi was shot dead by his rivals on 24 January 2005. Ravi had attended a meeting in the TDP party office and when he came out of the party office, was ambushed by an unknown number of gunmen and was shot. Ravi succumbed to the bullet injuries on the way to hospital.

The Anantapur District Court on 25 August 2011, sentenced 8 people to life imprisonment, for the brutal murder of TDP MLA Paritala Ravi. The Court also acquitted 4 persons in the case. There were a total of 16 accused in the case. Of them, 3 have been brutally killed, and one has turned approver. Following sharp criticism from Opposition parties, the then chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy ordered a CBI probe into the murder. However, before the CBI could begin investigations, one of the accused, M Rekhamaiah, surrendered before the Mahabubnagar police. The next week, 8 other accused surrendered. One of the prime accused, Joolakanti Srinivasa Reddy alias Moddu Seenu, claimed in a television interview that it was he who had shot Paritala Ravi dead.

But on 9 November 2008, he was killed in the Anantapur jail by his rivals. The main accused in the case, Maddelacheruvu Suri(Gangula Surya Narayana Reddy), was murdered by his aide Bhanu Kiran on 4 January 2011 in Hyderabad for unknown reasons. The court delivered the verdict after examining 133 witnesses, including Paritala's father-in-law Kondanna, in the case. The court has convicted 8 accused - Hanumantha Reddy, Peddi Reddy, O B Reddy, Vadde Konda, Vadde Srinivasulu, Rekamayya, Narayana Reddy and Ranganayakulu - and the approver was Rammohan Reddy. 4 accused - G B Reddy, Anand Reddy (Rice Mama), Ramaswamy and Patola Govardhan Reddy - have been acquitted.^[4]

The criminal element in politics of Andhra Pradesh was in full view on 24 January 2005. when hired killers hurl bombs near party office and gunned down the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) legislator Paritala Ravindra. The brutality of the murder, in broad daylight was sensational. According to media all this assassination was planned in Anathapuram jail and major ruling party leaders assisted in executing this.

Before his assassination the TDP voiced its fears about possible attempts by his numerous enemies to kill him. As per media at least 12 attempts are made to assassinate Paritala Ravindra in a span of 10 years which he survived . Soon after the Congress came to power in the State in May 2004, the heavy security cover that Ravi had was drastically scaled down. He then petitioned the Andhra Pradesh High Court, which ordered restoration of the 10 gunmen earlier deployed for his protection.

Maddelacheruvu Suri tried to take vengeance by triggering a remote-controlled car bomb in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, in 1997 but missed his target, Paritala Ravi, who was then producing a movie called Sri Ramulayya based on his father's struggle against landlords. After his death, his wife Paritala Sunitha became M.L.A from his assembly constituency Penukonda.

Maddelacheruvu Suri was killed on 4 January 2011 by Gun Shot in Hyderabad by his believed follower Bhanu Kiran for unknown reasons.^[5]

Popular culture

• Sri Ramulayya - Fictional biographical Telugu film produced by Paritala Ravi, based on the life of Paritala Sri Ramulu, father of Paritala Ravi.
• Rakta Charitra - Fictional biographical Telugu film directed by Ram Gopal Varma based on the life of Paritala Ravi and his rival Maddela Cheruvu Suri.

References