Vikarabad land acquisition protest: 55 held for attacking DC Pratheek Jain, others; internet suspended

Hyderabad: Vikarabad Police has arrested 55 persons including 28 farmers for their alleged involvement in the attack on District Collector Pratheek Jain and Kodangal Area Development Authority (KADA) chairman Venkat Reddy at Lagcherla.

Around 300 police officers participated in the late-night operation, which involved conducting door-to-door searches throughout the hamlet and suspending internet connectivity in the mandals of Kodangal, Bomraspet, and Dudyala to prevent untoward incidents.

All these mandals are part of the Kodangal Assembly constituency represented by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.

Three FIRs were registered, and 22 suspects have been identified based on video evidence, the police said. Later, IGP multi-zone-II V Satyanarayana reviewed the situation. Additional forces were also deployed at Dudyala to maintain law and order in the village, he added.

Tension prevailed at Lagcherla on Monday after some villagers protesting the acquisition of their lands for a proposed 'pharma village' by the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC) on the village outskirts. A BRS youth wing leader approached district Collector Prateek Jain requesting him to visit the village, where farmers would give their opinion.

The Collector accepted the request and visited the village along with other officials to listen to the farmers' views, where they were confronted by a mob, police said.

The protesters jostled Prateek Jain besides pelting stones on his vehicle and other district authorities vehicles. Apart from that, the protesters also attacked and injured Additional Collector Linga Naik and a DSP Srinivas Reddy when they went to rescue the Collector.

The situation is now under control and additional police personnel have been deployed. Further investigation is on, the police said.

Condemning the attack on the Collector, the government employees across the state attended to their duties by wearing black badges. In Vikarabad district, the employees boycotted their duties and staged a protest demanding stern action against those involved in the attack on Pratheek Jain.

Responding to the incident, the BRS called for the farmers' immediate release and denounced the late-night arrests. KT Rama Rao (KTR), the working president of BRS, vehemently denounced the arrests and attacked the Congress government for stifling dissent through intimidation.

"Lagicherla will continue to struggle despite arrests. Threats cannot intimidate farmers. Is it dictatorship or democracy here? For opposing land acquisition to establish pharma units, why are farmers being arrested in the middle of the night and punished like terrorists?" he questioned.

Meanwhile, a BRS delegation led by Siddipet MLA T Harish Rao is likely to visit Lagcherla to interact with the farmers and villagers and take stock of the situation after the violence erupted during a public hearing on land acquisition to set up a pharma unit in the village.

Employees JAC meet Telangana DGP seeks action against attackers on Vikarabad Collector

Members of Telangana Employees Joint Action Committee (TGEJAC) here on Tuesday met Director-General of Police Jitender and lodged a complaint requesting to initiate necessary action against those who attacked Vikarabad Collector Prateek Jain and others at Lagcherla village in the district on Monday.

A delegation led by TGEJAC chairman V Lachi Reddy called on the DGP at his chambers in Lakdi-ka-Pul and submitted a complaint in this regard.