ONGOLE: The police resorted to lathi charge and dispersed some 2,000 persons who had gathered at the 100-feet Donka Road near Kesavarajugunta here on Tuesday in a bid to encroach it for house sites.

The police also arrested eight leaders of the CPI(M), who were leading the agitators and charged them under Land Grabbing (Prevention) Act and for violation of prohibitory orders enforced under Section 144 of the Cr P C.

Tahsildar's promise

The CPI(M) had been agitating for house-sites to all eligible people in the town for the last three days and threatened to occupy three donka poramboke roads here for the purpose. Tahsildar Bhaskara Reddy promised to consider their demand and provide house-sites to all eligible families after inquiry.

But the agitators said that they had no confidence in him and insisted that the Revenue Divisional Officer should come and give an assurance to them so that they could call off their agitation.

Meanwhile, the police mobilised forces and acted in a strategic manner to quell the agitators. They arrested the leaders - Chiranjeevi, Konda Reddy, Sailaja and others - and removed them to a waiting van.

Later, they resorted to lathi charge and chased away the people.

The agitators were taken unawares and ran helter-skelter through the thorny bushes to save themselves from lathi blows. The police chased away both men and women agitators over a distance of one km.

Most of the agitators lost their footwear while running away from the scene. The police collected a heap of chappals and shoes and water bottles from the scene later. They also pulled down the shamiana and carried it to the police station.

List of eligible

The CPI(M) leaders said that they had submitted a list of 5,000 families who were in need of house site pattas in the town.

The officials neither verified the names nor made any attempts to provide house sites to them necessitating an agitation.

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