Date:24/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/24/stories/2008092457910500.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Peace prevails in faction-ridden village

Staff Reporter

Initiative by Superintendent of Police yields result

Two killed in clashes in the village in January
Rival groups vow to eschew violence

— Photo: T. Vijaya Kumar

Villagers of Madugula in Gurazala mandal pledge for peace in the presence of Superintendent of Police Mahesh Chandra Laddha and Gurazala MLA Janga Krishna Murthy at a peace meet on Tuesday.

MADUGULA (GUNTUR Dt): A peace deal brokered by the police between two warring communities has brought a sea change in the faction-ridden village in the heart of Palnadu. In January clashes broke out between them over a petty issue of parking auto rickshaws.

Two persons -- Gannipella Benny and Sunkam Venkateswarulu -- were killed and scores were injured in the clashes and a police picket was posted in the village for a month.

An uneasy calm which has been prevailing for days was shattered after the Gurazala police busted a major conspiracy hatched by members of one community to eliminate their rivals.

The police arrested 12 persons and recovered seven sickles, 27 axes and Rs.10,000 from the accused.

The police charged Sathuluri Moshe and P. Mariyadasu with hatching a conspiracy to take vengeance against Murari, who had not been arrested by the police till then.

Taking a serious note of the happenings, Superintendent of Police Mahesh Chandra Laddha took the initiative of bringing the elders of the two communities together and formed a peace committee.

The then Gurazala DSP Padmakara Rao and Inspector of Police Konda Reddy persuaded the elders -- Shayam from the SC community and Venkateswara Rao from the Yadava community -- to eschew violence.

For a village known as the hot bed of faction politics in Palnadu, peace has been prevailing for months.

Focus on education

At the Lutheran Church here on Tuesday in the presence of Gurazala MLA Janga Krishnamurthy and the SP, members of both communities pledged that they would not resort to any violence. The MLA pointed out that people in Palnadu need to take a leaf out of people in other regions in educating their children. “Education is the key to development,” he said. The MLA and the SP held the hands of elders of both communities in the local church and made them to take a oath pledging peace. “We have set up similar peace committees in faction ridden villages of Mittagududipadu and Manchikallu in Macherla mandal,” the SP added.