Demanding an impartial inquiry and stringent action against the police officials of Medak and Hyderabad districts, who acted highhandedly and behaved brutally against farmers and TPCC leaders by violating law, the TPCC asked the Director General of Police to make arrangements for the leaders of TPCC to go Mallanna Sagar and to interact with the farmers of Mallanna Sagar project neighboring villages to console the farmers and victims duly providing protection.
The TPCC leaders met the DGP Anurag Sharma today and submitted a memorandum in this regard. In the letter they said that in the name of irrational, illogical and unscientific redesign of the irrigation projects, the Government of Telangana was indulging in major manipulation and attempting to swindle thousands of crores of rupees causing serious loss to the exchequer.
In addition, the Government of Telangana was dictatorially enforcing the GO MS 123 and forcibly taking away the fertile lands from poor farmers under the disguise of “Willful Selling & Purchasing”. The Government was adopting the most unconstitutional and coercive methods of manipulative pressure tactics procuring the lands from poor farmers. The government was using local revenue and police machinery as their puppets and converted them as their real estate agents to unlawfully negotiate and pressurize farmers to sell the lands.
There were instances, where police threatened the project affected farmers that they will be labeled as Naxalites and will be encountered in case they refrain to sell their lands and protest against the State government. It was a known fact that the GOMS 123 was a clear violation of the Land Acquisition Act 2013 that was brought in by the Indian Parliament. The High Court of Telangana has clearly stated that the Government has no right to forcibly acquire the lands through Go MS 123. However, the Government has stooped down to even dishonor the verdict of the High Court.
The land was not only a source of livelihood, but it was also a matter self respect and pride for the farmers and with the forcible land procurement; the government of Telangana was depriving the livelihood and self-respect of poor farmers. This brutal act of State Government was also destroying the livelihoods of the farm labour, land tenants, artisans etc. The project-affected people have staged many peaceful demonstrations and made repeated appeals to implement the Land Acquisition Act-2013. They even have approached the High Court and SC Commission seeking justice. Further, all the political parties too made open appeals to not to scuttle the livelihoods of poor farmers. However, the TRS government was simply deaf to such appeals and behaving ruthless in enforcing GO MS 123.
In such helpless circumstances, on July 24, the poor farmers of have attempted to take up peaceful protest. The peaceful protest was a basic right in democracy. However, at the behest of the ruling party, the local police lead by Sridhar Goud, DSP, Siddipet and his subordinates and other Police forces have cruelly manhandled, lathi-charged and even opened fire, shelled tear gas against farmers. The brutal police have not spared even women and children. They were even abused with most filthy language.
On the one hand police has unlawfully lathi-charged and on the other hand, police irrationally imposed Section 144, so that no leader of the opposition could reach out and console the diseased farmers. Ironically, the Government was so crocked that on the one hand violates the constitutional provisions in land procurement and on the other hand, using revenue and police officials to brutally suppress the farmers.
On July 26, the congress party leaders— Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu, K. Jana Reddy, Mohammed Ali Shabbir, Damodar C. Rajanarasimha, MLAs, MLCs, Ex-Ministers, Ex-MPs and Ex-MLA and MLCs, planned to meet the affected farmers and address their concerns. However, Telangana police did not allow even the sitting MLAs, MLCs and Ex Ministers, Ex MPs, Ex MLCs and other responsible leaders to visit the villages and the police arrested them all. The SP, Medak district has openly declared that no one would be allowed to visit the villages. The Police officials have arrested Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu, K. Jana Reddy, Mohammed Ali Shabbir, Ponnala Lakshmaiah, Damodar C Rajanarasimha, and some other Ex- Ministers, Ex-MPs and other Congress Party leaders and humiliated them forgetting their moral responsibility. This repression resembles the Kashmir, where in armed forces control the civilian freedom. The Congress party leaders fail to understand the prevailing situation in Telangana. Does Indian Constitution not govern us in Telangana? Why such partisan attitude towards opposition parties and leaders? Why the poor farmers are being subjected to such harassment? , they questioned.
If this unlawful suppression continues, the Congress party afraid that people may loose faith in democracy and unrest among the youth may become uncontrollable menace to the society. It was the duty of the main opposition to go aggrieved people and enquire into their difficulties and bring the same to the notice of Assembly and Government. By not allowing the opposition leaders the government was violating and blocking the opposition leaders from discharging their duties and resisting them from playing the role of opposition party.
The Congress party leaders requested the DGP good-self to look-into the matter and request to make arrangements to the leaders of TPCC to go Mallannasagar and to interact with the farmers of Mallannasagar Project neighboring villages to console the farmers and victims duly providing protection. (NSS)