Phani Bolla remembers his younger brother as a cool-headed troubleshooter. Whether it was a minor discord in the household, a dispute in the neighbourhood or an issue cropping up on the professional front, he never showed aggression, but pacified the parties in a calm way, according to his brother. “Even when my parents had an argument, we knew Ravi Teja would step in and everything would be normal. He would smile and resolve problems,” said Phani.
Right from the time he received the news of his brother’s death in the early hours of January 1 to the time he oversaw the last rites in their hometown of Tadepalligudem in Andhra Pradesh, Phani and his family members are puzzled by one question—What did the 29-year- old do to deserve such a fatal blow to his head?
Teja along with a group of his friends travelled to Goa to spend the New Year’s eve. According to the version relayed to the family by eyewitnesses and friends of Ravi Teja, an argument had broken out between the Marina Beach shack owner on Calangute beach and the group after they felt that they were overcharged on the night of December 31.
One of the persons in the group demanded to talk to the owner to settle the issue. The owner and Ravi Teja’s friend entered into a heated argument following which staff members of the shack attacked the group with sticks.
A female friend of Ravi Teja started recording the incident and threatened to complain to the authorities when staff members charged towards her. Ravi Teja intervened to prevent any harm to the woman and was struck with a bamboo stick.
Ravi Teja’s family are not able to digest how he spent the last moments of his life in a helpless state. “He was lifted and placed on a bench. The people who were responsible for the attack happily watched him bleed from his head. His friends called for help and tried to get an ambulance without any success. Finally, they carried him till the main road as he bled profusely, and transported him to a hospital,” said Phani.
Phani’s woes were compounded upon receiving the news of his brother’s death as he did not know how to convey it to his father, a lorry driver, who is recovering from a stroke. The family reached out to local politicians who helped in bringing back the body home. What hurts the family most is that Ravi Teja was a Goa loyalist who knew the place like the back of his hand.
When Phani received a message from his brother that he was taking the bus to Goa, he was not concerned as he knew about the travel history of Ravi Teja. “In the last few years, he must have gone to Goa at least 20-30 times. He knows the place well. He would just take off to Goa randomly on some occasions. Sometimes, he would even take professional contacts there to host them.”
Ravi Teja was in the business of job consultancy. He would act as a bridge between colleges and employers and organise campus recruitment drives in institutions in AP and Telangana. Though not bright in studies, the family always treated him as a smart youngster who was doing well in life. Ravi Teja would shuttle between his home town Tadepalligudem and Hyderabad where he was exploring other businesses.
The family is upset that they haven’t received any call or updates from the Goa authorities on the progress of the case. They are also clueless on how many have been arrested or what action was being taken. Ravi Teja’s friends who lodged a complaint have also sustained injuries and are recovering.
The murder of Ravi Teja comes against the backdrop of an ongoing negative online campaign targeting Goa tourism. A large number of online users have pointed out that the tourist inflow to the coastal state has come down due to local conditions including hostile taxi drivers, high hotel rates and the aggressive attitude of some locals.
