National

Forced land acquisition costs life of woman

Sangareddy: Revenue officials collected thumb impression from the body of a deceased old woman on the premises of the District Collectorate here on Monday for forensic examination. The finger print test was meant to verify whether the woman had volunteered to surrender 40 guntas of her land for construction of a beer factory in her village. Sixty-year-old Khaja Bee of Peddapur village died on Monday following week-long illness at Osmania Hospital.

Her relatives alleged that she was admitted to the hospital after she was beaten up by Peddapur Sarpanch Srisailam and Upa Sarpanch Samuel as she refused to sign the consent papers surrendering her land for the factory.

Meanwhile, the Tahasildar had obtained the official consent from villagers for 75 acres out of the 180 required for the factory under Survey no. 476. He had also passed orders dissolving the rights to the owners of these 75 acres of land in Peddapur village.

The family members with the support of the local Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) leaders carried the dead body of Khaja Bee in a three-wheeler, demanding that Sadasivapet Circle Inspector register a case of murder against the Sarpanch and Upa Sarpanch.

However, the police registered a case of forgery and cheating under Sections 464 and 420 IPC. They then shifted the body to the District Collector’s office and staged a dharna in front of the Joint Collector’s office where a weekly ‘darbar’ was being held in the absence of the Collector. Joint Collector Ramshankar Nayak told The Hindu that he would send the finger prints taken from the dead body and the document in question to the State forensic laboratory. It was only after this assurance, the kin of Khaja Bee allowed her body to be taken for post-mortem.

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