Vangaveeti Mohana Ranga

2021-12-13T16:08:01Z

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{{Short description|Indian politician}}{{Use Indian English|date=October 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2017}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Vangaveeti Mohana Ranga Rao
| other_names = Ranga
| image = Vangaveeti.jpg
| caption =
| birth_name = Vangaveeti Mohana Ranga Rao
| birth_date = 4 July 1947
| birth_place = Katuru, [[Vuyyuru]], [[Krishna district]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1988|12|26|1947|07|04}}
| death_place = [[Vijayawada]], [[Andhra Pradesh]]
| death_cause = Murder
| occupation = Politician
| title = Member of the Legislative Assembly
| term = 1985 – 1988
| predecessor = Adusumilli Jaiprakash Rao
| successor = Vangaveeti Raghu
| party = [[Indian National Congress]]
| known_for =
| criminal_charge =
| spouse = Ratnakumari
| children = 1
}}
'''Vangaveeti Mohana Ranga Rao''' (4 July 1947 – 26 December 1988) more widely known as '''Ranga'' was an Indian politician from [[Andhra Pradesh]].<ref name="newindianexpress.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/andhra-pradesh/2010/jun/22/it-all-began-at-the-auto-stand-125532.html|title=It all began at the auto stand}}</ref> He worked as an MLA of [[Vijayawada East (Assembly constituency)]] legislative assembly as member of [[Indian National Congress]] party.

Ranga's elder brother, Vangaveeti Radha Krishna Rao Sr., was associated with Chalasani Venkata Rathnam, secretary of the [[Communist Party of India]], Vijayawada.<ref name="Archive News">{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/archive/|title=Archive News|website=The Hindu}}</ref> However, conflicts arose between Venkata Rathnam and Vangaveeti Radha, to get a hold on Vijayawada transport business, dominated by Datti Kanaka Rao, a follower of Chalasani Venkata Rathnam.
<ref name="Archive News"/>
In 1972, both Kanaka Rao, and Venkata Rathnam were allegedly murdered by Vangaveeti Radha's supporters. These events in turn led to a retaliation by a rival group, ending in the murder of Vangaveeti Radha.<ref>http://www.sirisimpex.com/gsprf.htm</ref><ref>{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990202064814/http://www.sirisimpex.com/gsprf.htm | url=http://www.sirisimpex.com/gsprf.htm | archive-date=2 February 1999 | title=G.S.Raju | access-date=17 October 2017 }}</ref> Upon the death of Vangaveeti Radha, his brother Mohana Ranga took over the leadership of United independent Organization with the support of student union leaders Devineni Chandrasekhar (Gandhi), and [[Devineni Rajasekhar]] (Nehru).<ref name="auto">{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/2004/02/11/stories/2004021111140300.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226110729/http://www.thehindu.com/2004/02/11/stories/2004021111140300.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 December 2016 |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |title=Bid on ex-MLA's son: 4 held |date=11 February 2004 }}</ref>

The power struggle between the politically powerful Mohana Ranga and the Devineni family led to the splitting of the United Independent Organization and to the alleged protracted murders of brothers Devineni Chandrasekhar (Gandhi) in 1979 and Devineni Murali in 1988
.<ref name="newindianexpress.com"/><ref name="auto"/> Subsequently, while Ranga was staging an indefinite fast for distribution of land pattas to residents of Giripuram, he was attacked by a group of men allegedly led by [[Devineni Rajasekhar]] (Nehru), who attacked Mohana Ranga's camp and assassinated him in the early hours of 26 December 1988. Ranga's two assigned bodyguards did not intervene.<ref name=violence/><ref name=rediff>{{cite news |first=Syed Amin |last=Jafri |url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/mar/05ap.htm |title=All 33 accused in V M Ranga Rao murder acquitted |website=[[Rediff.com]] |date=5 March 2002 }}</ref> The murder led to large-scale riots in Krishna, Guntur and the Godavari districts.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}

==Personal life==
Mohana Ranga was born in Katuru near [[Vuyyuru]], located in the [[Krishna district]] of Andhra Pradesh on 4 July 1947. His parents are Vangaveeti seetharamaya, and vangaveeti savithramma.He had four elder brothers: Vangaveeti Koteswara Rao,(expired at early age)
Vangaveeti Venkata Narayana Rao, (Apsrtc employee)
Vangaveeti Sobhana Chalapathi Rao,(ex MLA vuyyuru in 1989)
and Vangaveeti Radha Krishna Rao Sr.popularly known as bustand radha, who was murdered in 1974. Mohana Ranga was married to Chennupati Ratna Kumari; they had a son Radha Krishna Rao Jr., named after Ranga's brother Vangaveeti Radha Krishna Rao Sr., and a daughter, Vangaveeti Asha Latha.

==Political career==
Vangaveeti Ranga entered public life after the death of his brother Vangaveeti Radha Krishna. His political career began in 1981, when he ran in the municipal election and the Congress Party withdrew its official candidate in his favor. His rival in the district, [[Devineni Rajasekhar]], (Nehru), was sponsored by the [[Telugu Desam Party]] (TDP), while Ranga became a leader of the [[Kapu (caste)|Kapu]] community.<ref name=violence/> Ranga became an [[Member of the Legislative Assembly (India)|MLA]] for the Congress Party in 1985; Rajasekhar became a TDP MLA, and eventually a minister.<ref name=began/> Starting in 1983 both parties were implicated in gang warfare; [[N. T. Rama Rao]] was at the time the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.<ref name=violence/> The gang warfare in Vijayawada dated further back; Ranga had served time in prison for the murder of Rajasekhar's brother Gandhi.<ref name=began>{{cite news |url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/andhra_pradesh/article442728.ece?service=print |title=It all began at the auto stand |newspaper=[[The New Indian Express]] |orig-year=22 June 2010 |date=16 May 2012 }}</ref> On 10 March 1988, Rajasekhar's brother Murali was killed, and followers of Ranga were accused. Ranga also campaigned against police abuse. On 10 July 1988, a rally called ''Kapunadu'' proclaimed him leader of the Kapus; he was in prison at the time, but after his release later that month began a bus tour called ''Jana Chaitanya Yatra'' "to expose the autocratic rule and misdeeds of Rama Rao". Rao had come to power after a van tour.<ref name=violence>{{cite news |first=Amarnath K. |last=Menon |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/congressi-mla-murder-triggers-off-caste-violence-in-four-andhra-pradesh-coastal-districts/1/323011.html |title=A caste war erupts |newspaper=[[India Today]] |date=31 January 1989 }}
</ref>

==Riots==
Following his death, there were riots throughout the region.<ref name=violence/><ref name=rediff/><ref>{{Cite news|last=|first=|date=|title=India Sends Troops to Quell Riots in Southern State|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/28/world/india-sends-troops-to-quell-riots-in-southern-state.html|access-date=}}</ref> The pattern of violence showed that the houses and property of Telugu Desam sympathisers who were mostly Kammas were attacked.<ref>Menon, Amarnath K. (31 January 1989). "A caste war erupts". India Today.</ref> The city of Vijayawada was under curfew for 40 days. 42 people were killed. [[Devineni Rajasekhar]] (Nehru) was ordered by the Chief Minister to surrender himself, and the Director-General of Police resigned.<ref name=violence/> 44 people were accused of the crime; in 2002, the 33 who had not died in the meantime were all acquitted.<ref name=rediff/> One of them, Chalasani Venkateswara Rao, known as Pandu, was murdered in 2010.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Not-many-surprised-as-settlement-Pandu-meets-a-violent-end/articleshow/6639262.cms?referral=PM |title=Not many surprised as 'settlement Pandu' meets a violent end |newspaper=The Times of India|agency=TNN |date=28 September 2010 }}</ref>

==Successors==
Mohana Ranga's widow Ratna Kumari was elected MLA in 1989; in her second term, she switched from the Congress Party to the TDP.<ref name=began/> Radha Krishna also entered politics after his father's death.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/article1975682.ece |title=Vangaveeti Mohana Ranga remembered |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |date=27 December 2007 }}</ref> He was a Congress Party MLA from 2004 to 2009; later he shifted to the [[Praja Rajyam Party]] (PRP)<ref>{{cite news |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Former-PRP-MLA-refuses-to-join-Cong/articleshow/9701615.cms?referral=PM |title=Former PRP MLA refuses to join Cong |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |agency=[[Times News Network|TNN]] |date=23 August 2011 }}</ref> then to the [[YSR Congress Party]] in 2012,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Vijayawada/article3363739.ece |newspaper=The Hindu |title=Vangaveeti Radhakrishna joins YSRCP |date=28 April 2012 }}</ref> and then to TDP in 2019.

==In popular culture==

*''[[Gaayam 2]]'', a 2010 sequel to ''Gaayam'', directed by Praveen Sri
*''[[Bejawada (film)|Bejawada]]'', a 2011 action film directed by Vivek Krishna
*''[[Vangaveeti (film)|Vangaveeti]]'', 2016 biographical film based on Vijayawada Gang Warfare, directed by Ram Gopal Varma

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ranga, Vangaveeti Mohana}}
[[Category:1947 births]]
[[Category:1988 deaths]]
[[Category:1988 murders in Asia]]
[[Category:Andhra Pradesh MLAs 1985–1989]]
[[Category:Assassinated Indian politicians]]
[[Category:Indian National Congress politicians from Andhra Pradesh]]
[[Category:Male murder victims]]
[[Category:People murdered in Andhra Pradesh]]
[[Category:Politicians from Vijayawada]]

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Vangaveeti Mohana Ranga