Acid attack on TV9

Hyderabad: Shaik Kareemulla, a journalist with a Telugu TV news channel, TV5 & his wife, Sirisha, a former anchor with TV9, suffered injuries when her family allegedly threw acid on them on Tuesday at their Srinagar Colony apartment. Both were admitted to Apollo Hospital at Jubilee Hills. While Kareem’s condition is said to be critical, Sirisha is being treated for burns on her hands & chest. Kareem & Sirisha got married on March 22, 2008, against the wishes of her parents. Kareem reportedly divorced his first wife. After marriage, Sirisha’s parents had lodged complaints with the police but since she is a major, no case was pursued.
A senior official of Banjara Hills Police said, “Sirisha’s father M Sambasiva Rao, a retired employee of ASI, mother Krishna Kumari & brother M Kiran Babu, came to Kareem’s house around 9.30 am. After a heated argument, Kareem was attacked by Sirisha’s father & brother”. The official said that Kiran Babu threw acid on Kareem’s face, chest & hands resulting in his suffering severe burns. His eyes too got damaged in the attack. Sirisha who tried to intervene when acid was thrown at Kareem also suffered burns.

Even as the outcry of the public enraged over the acid attack on two engineering students spilled onto the roads, it has emerged that 22-year-old Kousetti Swapnika might lose the sight of both her eyes as she battled to survive another day in the hospital on Thursday. The policehave slapped an attempt-to-murder case against the accused, 28-year-old Shakamuri Srinivas, for the heinous crime.
Yashoda Hospital authorities said in Hyderabad that Swapnika’s condition is very critical as she suffered 55 per cent burns. “She suffered severe burn injuries on face, chest, back and thighs. Though she is able to talk in a feeble voice, she could develop complications later,” a hospital official said.
Asked as to why the police are taking time to arrest even after Swapnika had accused Srinivas of carrying out the dastardly attack, Warangal district SP V C Sajjanar said they were interrogating the accused. He said a case under section 307 (read with section 34) was filed at the Kakatiya University campus police station.
Ironically, father of the accused S Singa Rao felt that no punishment was enough for his son, if found guilty, for carrying out the attack. “It is pathetic to see the faces of the victims as I empathise with their parents who are undergoing immense pain,” he said. The accused was reportedly taken into custody by the police late on Wednesday night. The police, however, are tightlipped whether two others who have helped Srinivas in the brazen act are in their custody.