Chennai/Tirupati: Roja, yesteryear top heroine of Tamil and Telugu filmdom and presently sitting MLA of YSR Congress party, suffered a bleeding injury on her right wrist while she took part in the traditional Gangamma jathra in Nagari of Chittoor district.
On the final day of the week-long Gangamma temple festival, which was Friday, the deities were taken on a procession and being the MLA of Nagari, Roja participated in the event along with 500 women devotees.
Sources said former minister and TDP strongman Gali Muddu Krishnamanaidu was also present on the occasion. According to temple protocol, the ‘first honour’ is given to the sitting MLA who will perform the last arathi to the deity.
Roja was carrying the arathi plate, when some of the TDP and Congress men protested and demanded that the first honour should be given only to local bigwigs. There was a big commotion and scuffle among the two opposing parties.
All of a sudden, a person allegedly from the TDP, forcibly snatched the arathi plate from Roja and in the melee, the actress suffered deep cuts on her right wrist and started bleeding.
Roja and her supporters staged a dharna in front of the temple in the pouring rain.
The temple authorities intervened and later sorted it out by abiding by the protocol and giving the first honour to Roja.
When Deccan Chronicle contacted Roja, her husband and director R.K. Selvamani answered the phone and said Roja was doing fine.
“It was a planned move. Someone cut her hand with a sharp instrument; either a blade or knife.
Since it was raining and she was bleeding, she developed fever the same night. She was rushed to a nearby hospital and given treatment and discharged later. But doctors have advised her rest.”
Silent unease continues to prevail over Nagari town and the surrounding villages on Sunday, following the attack on Roja.
Actor Roja’s charge against TD-Cong combine
It is out of extreme frustration on account of their electoral defeat at my hands that veteran leaders R. Chenga Reddy and Gali Muddukrishnama Naidu instigated the attack on me during the Ganga jathra festivities at Nagari on Friday night, said Roja in a statement.
Sensing trouble that the TD-Congress combine local leaders were preparing to attack me, I had approached the high court which directed the police department to ensure my safety.
However, local DSP Krishna Kishore Reddy compromised on the security measures, she said, and demanded the immediate suspension of DSP Reddy and arrest of the culprits.
