Janmabhoomi officials, SI assaulted

By Our Staff Reporter

NIZAMABAD, AUG. 6. The Janmabhoomi nodal team belonging to Domakonda mandal was assaulted by residents of Sangameshwar for not solving the problems raised at gram sabhas conduced in the earlier phases of the programme on Saturday. The Domakonda SI, Mr. Ramachandram, who went to the rescue of the nodal team, was also manhandled by the irate villagers leading to tension in the area.

In swift action, the Domakonda police took into custody 16 persons on Sunday for their alleged involvement in the assault. Protesting against the arrests, the former Minister and DCC president, Md. Ali Shabbir, the Kamareddy Municipal chairperson, Mamindla Laxmi, and 200 villagers of Sangameshwar and Congress workers organised a rasta roko at Domakonda mandal headquarters this afternoon and later staged a dharna in front of the local police station demanding the release of the arrested.

However, the police, armed with a complaint from the nodal officer, Mr. Siva Prakash, registered a case and sent the 16 to judicial custody.

According to reports, the incident took place at Sangameshwar village when the nodal team went there to conduct the gram sabha. As soon as the vehicles entered the village and went to the gram panchayat office, the residents began raising slogans and prevented the team from getting down from the vehicle. Villagers threw cow dung at the vehicle and showed broomsticks at the nodal team. They were protesting against severe power cuts, unprecedented power tariff hike and drinking water crisis confronting the village. They gheraoed the nodal team and did not budge when the officials pleaded that the gram sabha should be conducted.

The situation took a turn for the worse when the villagers tried to drag the nodal officer out of the jeep. The officials were assaulted in the melee. The SI, who was there rushed to rescue only to be pushed down to the ground and beaten up severely by the villagers. Some miscreants even applied cow dung on his face. The villagers then announced their decision to boycott the gram sabha and asked the nodal team to retreat.

The humiliated nodal team went back to the mandal headquarters and lodged a complaint with the police.

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