Lagacherla victims allege police atrocities, seek justice from NHRC in Delhi

Victims say that the Congress government in Telangana was forcibly taking their lands to benefit a pharma company and detailed horrors of police excesses in their village

Hyderabad: Aggrieved families from Lagacherla, accompanied by BRS leaders, approached the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in Delhi on Monday, seeking intervention against forcible land acquisition and police atrocities.

The victims said the Congress government in Telangana was forcibly taking their lands to benefit a pharma company and detailed the horrors of police excesses in their village.

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Addressing the media, the families of arrested farmers said they had been protesting for the last nine months against acquisition of their lands, but neither the local elected representatives nor the officials were ready to listen to their woes.

“The District Collector recently visited our village without police protection. Some youngsters, unaware of his identity, attacked him, fearing threat to their lands,” a farmer explained. This incident triggered a severe police crackdown on the village.

They said later that night, 500 policemen stormed the village, cut electricity and internet connectivity, and assaulted the families. Besides abusing them, they said the police beat them mercilessly.

“All the men were arrested, and those who escaped are in hiding. We don’t even know the whereabouts of our children and are concerned about them as the police are threatening to arrest them as well,” said another victim.

Former Minister and BRS MLC Satyavathi Rathod condemned the alleged atrocities, stating that women were assaulted under the cover of darkness. The government has filed illegal cases against 52 farmers. “Revanth Reddy’s brother Tirupati Reddy is threatening to take away their lands by force,” she said.

Former MP Maloth Kavitha accused the government of targeting tribal lands despite having abundant land previously acquired for the Pharma City project.

“This Congress government, which won on tribal votes, is now tormenting the very people who supported it,” she said. The BRS leaders pledged to escalate the issue, and are scheduled to approach the National Commissions for SC, ST, and Women later on Monday.

“We would also like to approach the President, herself from a tribal community, and seek justice,” Satyavathi Rathod said.