Farmers go on rampage, lathicharged

By Our Staff Reporter

ARMOOR, JUNE 24. Irate farmers protesting against the steep hike in power tariff went on the rampage on Saturday evening damaging over 50 RTC buses and private vehicles, after the police resorted to a lathicharge to disperse agitating protestors staging `rasta roko' at Mamidipalli crossroads on national highway - 7.Several protesters sustained bleeding injuries in the lathicharge to clear them from the area after the `rasta roko' continued for over eight hours. One person, identified as Mallepalli Gangaram of Armoor town, sustained grievous injury and was shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital, Nizamabad, as his condition turned serious.

The Village Development Committees of the Balkonda and Armoor Assembly constituencies had given a call for the `rasta roko' on a non- party basis to protest against the power tariff hike. The farmers were demanding the two Ministers representing the district to come and make an assurance regarding the withdrawal of the tariff. They changed the demand and wanted the District Collector to come and address them.

Protesting against the lathicharge, the Congress MLAs - Mr. K. R. Suresh Reddy (Balkonda) and Mr. Bajireddi Goverdhan (Armoor) - took out a rally and marched to the Mamidipalli crossroads where they began a sit- in. Tension gripped the area following the lathicharge as the protesters regrouped and staged a dharna on the national highway after coming in procession from the Armoor Government Hospital where the injured persons were admitted for treatment.

It all began around 5 p.m when the agitators who had responded to the call given by the Rythu Sanghams and the VDCs of the Balkonda and Armoor Assembly constituencies tried to burn the effigy of the Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu. The Armoor ASP, Mr. Madhusudan Reddy, and the AP Transco Superintending Engineer, Mr. Nageswara Rao, were holding discussions with the agitators. Suddenly the protesters brought the effigy and set it ablaze. The police swung into action to snatch the effigy and simultaneously resorted to a lathicharge.The agitators ran helter skelter and started damaging APSRTC and private vehicles stranded on the NH - 7 since the morning. As a result, over 50 vehicles were badly damaged. The farmers regrouped and tried to stage a dharna for the second time. The situation took a serious turn when the two Congress MLAs, who were waiting at the local R and B guest house, on learning about the lathicharge, rushed to the hospital and then to the national highway where they began indefinite sit-in.

Since the morning, tension has been building up in the area as the police prevented farmers from participating in the `rasta roko.'

As a result of the road blockades, traffic came to a standstill on the NH - 7 and 16. Hundreds of vehicles were lined up on these two arterial roads leading to Adilabad, Karimnagar, Warangal and Hyderabad. Utter chaos prevailed on the two highways. At several places, where the police prevented the agitators from going further, farmers entered into heated arguments with them.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Southern States
Next     : Two Ministers gheraoed