Lagacharla tribals meet SC/ST, NHRC, Women’s Commission in New Delhi

Tribal residents of Lagacharla seek justice in New Delhi after alleged police brutality and land acquisition issues.

Taking their plight to the notice of the rights panel, tribal residents of Lagacharla hamlet in Kodangal constituency of Vikarabad district on Monday called on the chiefs of National SC and ST Commission, National Human Rights Commission and Women’s panel.

Accompanied by BRS leaders — party MPs K. R. Suresh Reddy, V. Ravichandra and D. Damodar Rao, former Minister Satyavathi Rathod and party leaders, the victims poured out their woes on how they were allegedly targeted by the local police after their protest against ‘forcible’ land acquisition for Pharma Village project. They first met NHRC chairperson Vijaya Bharati Sayani and narrated their woes. The tribal women also met National SC Commission chief Kishor Makwana, ST panel chief Antar Singh Arya and Women’s Commission chief Vijaya Kishore Rahatkar.

The villagers, many of them women, gave a blow-by-blow account of arrests, alleged physical assault on locals by police and highhanded behaviour of local Congress leaders. Speaking to the media, the locals said they had been agitating against land acquisition for the last nine months. “When we are agitating, none of the Congress leaders, including the brother of CM Revanth Reddy, came to meet us. But the Vikarabad Collector came to the village without any security and unknowingly our youth attacked them,” they pointed out.

Taking the attack on the officials as a ruse, police numbering around 500 raided our tanda and indiscriminately started rounding up our men folk. They cut power supply to the village and started assaulting the villagers, they lamented.

They said agriculture was their only livelihood and if that was acquired how would they survive. “We dread to live in the village as we do not know when the police will come and arrest us,” they said stating that many of the men were in prison and others have fled the village fearing arrest.

Former Minister Satyavathi Rathod said as many as 51 tribal men were picked up by the police after the alleged attack on officials. She said the tribals came to New Delhi with the only hope that justice would be rendered to them only in the national capital. She said the BRS leaders were seeking an appointment with President Droupadi Murmu, who also was a tribal woman. She said the tribals were determined not to part with their meagre lands for the Pharma project.

Among others, BRS leader Maloth Kavitha, Kova Laxmi and Dr. R. S. Praveen Kumar accompanied the tribals.