Couple protest by herding buffaloes into Bhupalpally MLA’s office

A couple in Bhupalpally protested the demolition of their cattle shed by herding buffaloes into MLA Gandra Satyanarayana Rao’s camp office. The protest went viral. Police removed the animals and registered a trespassing case against the couple

Bhupalpally: Angered by the demolition of their cattle shed, a couple engaged in dairy farming herded nearly ten buffaloes they were rearing into the camp office of Bhupalpally MLA Gandra Satyanarayana Rao.

A video clipping of the incident was widely shared on social media and went viral. It was said that the couple, Kurakula Odelu and Lalitha, had built a cattle shed beside their house on eight guntas of land at Mazurnagar in Veshalapally village in Bhupalpally mandal.

They alleged that local officials, with the help of police, demolished the shed on Thursday at the direction of the MLA. Staging a novel protest against the MLA’s action, the couple brought the cattle to his camp office, stating that the animals would stay there until justice was done to them, even as the office staff objected to their action.

Lalitha told the media that when she asked why their cattle shed was razed, everyone pointed fingers at the MLA. Hence, they brought the cattle to his camp office. “Is this the gift the MLA is giving us for voting for him without taking a single rupee?” she protested, adding that the buffaloes would not be taken back until the shed was rebuilt.

She alleged that in the pretext of laying a road to a school near their house, the MLA ordered officials to demolish their cattle shed, while Lalitha’s husband said this was the second time the shed had been razed.

It was learnt that there was a Government Primary School adjacent to the cattle shed and that students wanted the shed relocated as they could not bear the bad smell due to the buffaloes’ droppings. The issue has been going on for about ten years.

On learning about the couple’s protest, police reached the scene, sent the buffaloes out, and took Odelu and Lalitha into custody. A case of trespassing was registered against them.