Watch: Khammam ryot who voted for Cong records video asking CM, Bhatti for justice, ends life

B Prabhakar had complained that some residents of Poddutur village damaged his three-acre farmland by digging up the soil using earthmovers

Khammam: A farmer, B Prabhakar, 45, of Poddutur village in Chintakani mandal, shocked the State on Tuesday with a heartbreaking video that he shot before ending his life, stating how he had voted for the Congress hoping for a farmer-friendly government, but was now forced to die. The video, which forced Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to respond even as it acquired political overtones, saw 10 persons being booked on charges of abetting suicide.

In the video purportedly shot near Khammam before he consumed pesticide on Monday, Prabhakar was seen in tears, complaining that some persons from the village had damaged his three acres of land by digging up the soil with heavy earthmovers under survey numbers 277 and 276 at the village.

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Stating that he had voted for the Congress wishing for a pro-farmer government despite being a Telugu Desam Party supporter, Prabhakar appealed for help from the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka to address his problem and to do justice to his family. He said he was forced to end his life since none of the local officials including the police had helped him. He was said to have shot the video by placing his mobile on a nearby wall or a tree branch.

Repeatedly breaking down into tears, Prabhakar said he had complained to the local SI and Tahsildar, but they failed to solve his problem, following which he reached Khammam on Monday to take the matter to the notice of the District Collector at the Prajavani programme. But as the grievance cell meeting was over, he could not do so.

Police said Prabhakar later consumed pesticide and called his family members, who alerted the police. However, by the time his relatives and cops reached the spot, he died. The body was taken for postmortem on Tuesday several hours after his death.

Meanwhile, Khanapuram Haveli police booked a case against the accused under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 based on a complaint by Prabhakar’s father, B Veerabhadraiah.

The complainant stated that the accused, Kurapati Kishore, Pentyala Rama Rao, G Nagamalleshwar Rao, Mogili Srinu, Mogili Muthaiah, Velpula Kotaiah, Shaik Siddaiah, Velpula Narasimhulu, Shaik Saidulu and Mogili Madhava Rao along with some members of the local fishermen society had dug up the soil in their land and dumped it in a local tank.

The accused, who were reportedly followers of Bhatti Vikramarka, threatened Prabhakar that his land was under the limits of the tank and that he had no ownership over the land. Prabhakar was upset over this and took the extreme step, he said.

Responding to the incident, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy ordered officials to conduct a comprehensive investigation immediately. He also asked officials to take stringent action against those responsible for the incident.

Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao also directed the local police and revenue officials, who failed to act even after several hours of the death of the farmer, to probe the matter, to take action against the accused and to submit a report to the government.

Former BRS MP Nama Nageswara Rao, who regretted the farmer’s suicide, said suicides by farmers were increasing in the Congress rule in Telangana. He demanded the State government to support the affected family by providing a government job to one of the family members. The MP reminded that during the previous BRS regime, farmers’ welfare was given top priority. It was sad that the officials failed to address Prabhakar’s problem, forcing him to end his life, Rao added.