Singer Mangli denies that she was attacked at an event in Ballari

Singer Mangli, who is all set to make her acting debut in Sandalwood with Paadaraya, in which she is paired with director-actor Nagashekar, was reportedly involved in an ugly skirmish last night. According to reports, Mangli had wrapped up her performance at the Ballari Municipal College Ground as part of the Ballari Utsav, when enthusiastic fans gathered backstage, in the hope of meeting her. At one point, the crowd apparently got a little too unruly, necessitating police intervention.

Amid the ensuing commotion, Mangli tried to make a quick escape in her car, which was reportedly pelted with stones. It was suggested that the attack on the singer was an offshoot of an earlier public appearance, when Mangli spoke in Telugu to a largely Kannada audience. Given the venue’s proximity to the Andhra border, the singer apparently said that it would be okay to speak in Telugu, even though she was coaxed by the programme anchor to address the gathering in Kannada. This is believed to have angered sections of the audience. Police are apparently investigating if the earlier incident had any bearing on the attack in Ballari.

Mangli, however, has rubbished reports that she was a victim of an attack. Taking to social media, she wrote, “I completely deny news spread by some social media groups that I was attacked yesterday at an event in Ballari. As you all can see from the photos and videos that the event was a huge success and one of the best events, the love and support showered on me by Kannada people is overwhelming. I was so well taken care by the officials and authorities, which can’t be described in words. All this is being done to malign my image and I condemn this sort of false propaganda being spread.