AIYF activists loot godown, distribute rice

By Our Staff Reporter

ANANTAPUR, OCT. 1. In an incident resembling the famine raids activists of the All India Youth Federation (AIYF), led by their district leaders, raided a godown belonging to the AP Civil Supplies Corporation on the premises of Anantapur Agriculture Market Committee (AMC) yard here on Monday and looted it of about 50 bags of rice. The police later took 60 activists into custody, including about 25 women.

About 250 activists of AIYF led by their district leaders - the president, Mr. Peddanna, the organising secretary, Mr. Shaik Shahvali, and Kistappa and Ahmed - went in procession from the Tadipatri bus stand to the AMC raising slogans demanding the Government to either ``give food or show work'' as part of its all-India movement. Even as the leaders were making their speeches at the AMC, several activists started trying to break open the three locked shutters of the stock point.

The AIYF leaders charged that the Central and State Governments were neglecting the poor, leading even to hunger deaths due to lack of work and wages. While some people were dying of hunger, lakhs of tonnes of foodgrains were getting rotten in the godowns. They were raiding the stock point against all this, they stated.

They alleged that the Government had been failing to provide any livelihood to the poor and labourers. Problems of the poor would be solved only when the Governments provided them with some wage employment works, they noted. They said the Government was doing nothing to the poor except making hallow promises. Even as the leaders were about to finish their speeches, the activists were successful in breaking open a locked shutter. They rushed inside and started carrying the 50 kg bags of rice outside. While some activists took away full bags in a few autorickshaws, others opened them there and took away the rice in their towels and other clothes.

In all, the AIYF activists could bring about 50 bags of rice. The `distribution' of looted rice among themselves went on for about an hour before the One Town police reached there.

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Section  : Southern States
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