Man killed In ’Jr NTR vs Pawan Kalyan’ clash between Fans in Karnataka

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru Aug 25, 2016:  Movie fans have been known to take their devotion to extremes, but in Karnataka this weekend, it led to a murder.

 

A fan of Telugu megastar Pawan Kalyan was allegedly stabbed to death on Sunday by a fan of another popular hero, Junior NTR, at an organ donation drive in Kolar, around 70 km from Bengaluru.

Vinod Kumar, 24, was stabbed with a knife during an argument over who is the bigger star. His attacker, Akshay, has been arrested.

Mr Kumar was a member of Pawan Kalyan’s political party. The fight allegedly started because he and a few others started shouting slogans praising Mr Kalyan.

The actor met the family of the man and was quoted as telling reporters: "Killing in the name of fandom is wrong. It’s not just about my fans, it can be about fans of any actor."

Both Junior NTR and Pawan Kalyan are wildly popular in southern states, where fans are known to build temples and hold elaborate rituals to pray for the success of films starring their icons. Junior NTR is the grandson of late actor and Andhra Pradesh chief minister NT Rama Rao and Pawan Kalyan is the brother of veteran Chiranjeevi.