Watch: Woman injured in lathi charge as protests erupt against pharma village in CM Revanth’s constituency

A few residents, including a woman, were injured after police resorted to lathi charge to bring the situation under control. The tense atmosphere prevailed till late in the afternoon.

Kodangal: Tension prevailed in Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s Kodangal constituency with farmers and villagers opposing land acquisition for the proposed pharma village since Friday morning. A few of the protesters, including a woman, were injured after police resorted to lathi charge to bring the situation under control. The tense atmosphere prevailed till late in the afternoon.

A programme was scheduled at Rotibanda thanda under Dudyala mandal by the district administration to seek villagers’ opinion on the establishment of pharma village. However, even before the programme could commence, villagers vociferously raised slogans against the Congress government and resolved that they would not part with their lands for the pharma village. As Dudyala mandal Congress president Auta Shekhar tried to argue with the villagers over the establishment of the pharma village, the residents got irked and thrashed him. In the melee, the Congress leader’s car got slightly damaged as stones were hurled at the vehicle.

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Sensing trouble, the police tried to intervene but with the residents continued to argue with the Congress leader, after which he was taken to the gram panchayat office. He was locked up in the office by the police to ensure there was no untoward incident but the villagers tried to break open the doors using poles. Later, the Congress leaders were escorted out of the venue under police protection. The police had a tough time in getting the situation under control as the agitated residents continued to argue with the Congress leaders. They even obstructed the police in escorting them out of the venue.

Residents said majority of the farmers in the area were small and marginal ryots owning about two and three acres. “We will not part even a small piece of land. If the government is hell bent on setting up the pharma village, it should seek lands from landlords who own 1000 to 1200 acres,” a farmer was heard saying in a video that has gone viral on social media.Villagers from different mandals have been opposing the establishment of pharma village since the last three months. Several protests were staged in the past against the government, with the farmers repeatedly stating that they would not part with their fertile lands for pharma companies.