Actor-politician Nandamuri Balakrishna is in the news for assault again, this time, as he was caught on camera threatening and assaulting a journalist from MOJO TV. The incident took place on Wednesday when the Hindupur MLA from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), who is the brother-in-law of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, was campaigning in his constituency.
In the video that is being widely shared, Balakrishna was being garlanded by TDP cadres when several children try to make their way close to the actor-politician, only to be pushed away by people who appear to be the MLA’s personal security personnel.
When a reporter tried to shoot the episode and Balakrishna saw him, that is when the confrontation broke out.
“Delete it. Delete it,” Balakrishna is seen saying, before he slaps the reporter, even as the latter insists that he did not film anything.
Even as security personnel intimidated the reporter, Balakrishna can be seen saying, “I know how to wield a knife. I even know how to hurl bombs. I will take your life."
Watch the video below.
Actor and #TDP Hindupur MLA, #Balakrishna issuing death threats to journalists. #Elections2019 #YSRCP #nbk #Congress #BJP #JSP pic.twitter.com/MBWn5xCv5u
— Rahul Devulapalli (@rahulscribe) March 27, 2019
As the video spread on social media, many condemned the act and demanded an apology. Following this, the actor-politician took to Facebook, and said, “During the campaigning, I saw some people filming video and falling on children and I mistook them to be miscreants. Later I learnt that they were members of the media. This wasn’t my intention. If any friends in the media were affected by my actions, I apologise.”
This is not the first such controversy that Balakrishna has found himself in. Known for his short temper, he has been repeatedly caught on camera, having slapped multiple people including his own fans.
In 2017, during his electoral campaign tour in Nandyal of Kurnool, he slapped a party man who tried to take a selfie with him. This had come shortly after he whacked an assistant director on the sets of Paisa Vasool and forced him to pick his shoes up.