Andhra Pradesh   

CPI, CPI(M) stir for land turns violent

Special Correspondent

SI and party workers injured in stone throwing, lathicharge

TIRUPATI: `Bhoo Poratam' - the struggle for land launched jointly across Andhra Pradesh by the CPI (M) and the CPI on Sunday ended on a violent note in Tirupati. In a pitched battle between the landless poor led by Left party leaders and the police, the Alipiri SI, Venkatappaiah, received an injury on his head, while some demonstrators were hurt when lathi-wielding policemen swooped down on them and chased them.

The high drama unfolded with about 10,000 landless persons, mostly women, led by the district and the town party leaders of the two Left parties, trying to forcibly occupy Government lands and putting up huts at four different places in the town as part of the Statewide struggle. The Left parties symbolically kicked off the stir at Hyderabad and Tirupati on Sunday with the aim of extending it to different towns and villages in phases in the State.

Left party activists at Tirupati reportedly `occupied' 250 acres of Government lands at the four identified points — Mangalam village, Tiruchanur, MR Palle and Market Yard area — and started planting poles as a prelude to put up huts. It was as this stage that a posse of policemen trouped in and pulled down the poles resulting in a melee and tension. What reportedly made the police turn furious and go after the activists was a flying stone from someone in the crowd, which hit the SI on his head. In the lathicharge that ensued many party workers, including women, were injured. Police reportedly took into custody about 250 people. Section 144 Cr PC has been clamped at all the four places even as the situation remains tense.

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