Watch: Farmers forced to wait at police station for urea in Kamareddy; one collapses in heat

Hundreds of farmers in Kamareddy were herded to a police station and made to sit under the scorching sun while waiting for urea supplies. One farmer collapsed during the ordeal, sparking criticism over the “inhuman” handling of the fertiliser shortage

Kamareddy: Hundreds of farmers waiting for urea supplies at the Primary Agricultural Cooperative Society (PACS) in BB Pet mandal of Kamareddy district were herded to the local police station and made to sit under the blazing sun for hours on Saturday. One farmer, identified as Raju, collapsed after waiting for a few hours. He reportedly suffered seizures and was rushed to a nearby hospital.

The entire episode, which has drawn sharp criticism from farmers and opposition parties alike, began when farmers from several villages in the mandal arrived at the fertiliser distribution outlet in BB Pet as early as 5 am after hearing that urea stocks were due to arrive. Desperate to secure the supplies during the critical Kharif season, they placed all their hopes on the day’s allocation. But to their dismay, only 600 bags arrived, far short of the needs of the large crowd.

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As frustration mounted, the PACS staff admitted they were unable to manage the growing unrest. The scene quickly turned chaotic, with long queues forming as anxious farmers jostled for the limited stock. Tempers flared, arguments broke out prompting agricultural officials, who were unable to handle the crowd, to call in police reinforcements.

Officers from BB Pet police station arrived and dispersed the crowd, ordering the farmers to march to the station about a kilometre away. Many elderly farmers struggled to walk to the police station but in the hope of getting urea, they joined the others.

On their arrival at the police station, the farmers were lined up and forced to sit on the hot concrete ground in front of the station, treated more like suspects than farmers seeking essential fertiliser supplies. For over an hour, they endured the relentless sun without shade or water. The police later distributed “tokens” to regulate urea delivery, but the arbitrary process only fuelled resentment. One farmer shouted, “We came for fertiliser, not handcuffs!”

It was in between this melee that Raju, a local farmer in his 50s, collapsed. Onlookers raised an alarm, and he was rushed to a nearby hospital. His condition was stated to be stable. The incident, however, sparked widespread outrage across the district, with villagers condemning the “inhuman” handling of the crisis.