A tourist bus of Diwakar Travels, owned by the former Minister JC Diwakar reddy family, was set ablaze by some unidentified persons last night at Bachupalli on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

The bus was completely gutted in the ghastly attack.  The driver and the cleaner of the bus told journalists that the assailants tried to push them into the fire but they escaped luckily.

Driver Papaiah said they took the bus from their garage at around 8.30 PM at Bachupally and set off to Ananthapuram but after a while, 8 persons, who followed them on motorcycles, stopped them.  “They poured petrol on the bus and set it ablaze .They also tried to push us into the flames but we luckily escaped,” said the driver.

Fire tenders from Jeedimetla were rushed to extinguish the fire. But by the time, the fire tenders arrived, most of the bus was burnt up.

On a complaint from the driver and cleaner, the police have registered a case and are investigating.

We can’t be terrorized: JC

Reacting to the incident, JC Prabhakara Reddy, brother of former minister Mr JC Diwakar Reddy, said they could not be terrorized by any one and there is no question of leaving the pro-united AP stance.

“Nothing will happen if you burn a bus of ours. We can’t be terrorized by such incidents. And we will not give up our demand to keep the state united,” he said in Ananthapuram.

“If we want, we can teach a lesson to KCR and his family in Hyderabad itself,” he also warned the TRS chief.