BRS protest: Jogu Ramanna faints after police action in Adilabad

Former minister Jogu Ramanna fainted after police allegedly dragged him during a BRS protest in Adilabad demanding soybean procurement. The incident triggered tension as party cadres staged a sit-in, accusing police of acting at the behest of the ruling Congress.

Adilabad: Former minister Jogu Ramanna fainted after police allegedly dragged him while he was participating in a protest staged by BRS cadres against the State and Union governments, demanding procurement of soybean produce here on Saturday.

Led by Ramanna, BRS cadres attempted to lay siege to the houses of local MLA Payal Shankar and MP Soyam Bapu Rao, seeking their intervention in soybean procurement. Police stopped the protestors from entering the houses, leading to jostling between the cadres and the police. Ramanna fell unconscious after being shifted to a police station by the police, triggering mild tension in the area.

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Following the incident, BRS cadres staged a sit-in in front of the police station, demanding action against the policemen who forcibly shifted Ramanna, which they alleged resulted in his fainting. They alleged that the police were acting on the instructions of the ruling Congress and accused them of suppressing the voice of Opposition parties.

Earlier, Ramanna told pressmen that both the MLA and the MP had utterly failed to do justice to soybean farmers. He alleged that the elected public representatives were showing negligence in addressing the problems of the agrarian community. He said soybean produce refused by NAFED in Telangana was being purchased in neighbouring Maharashtra.

He further alleged that in-charge minister Jupalli Krishna Rao, who toured the district recently, had completely ignored the challenges faced by soybean farmers. Warning that refusal to procure soybean produce could drive farmers to suicide, he flayed the Congress for not backing the agitating farmers and said the BRS would continue its fight for farmers’ rights.