Andhra Pradesh   

Land struggle: CPI stages protest at Collectorates

Staff Reporter

Police arrest large number of agitating party activists

KARIMNAGAR: The Communist Party of India (CPI) district unit’s call to barricade the Collectorate building complex on Thursday demanding land to the landless poor was foiled by the district police which arrested a large number of CPI activists, including its legislator Chada Venkat Reddy, district secretary M. Venkat Swamy and others.

In view of the possible threat from CPI activists, who had earlier blockaded the Collectorate and stalled the administration by not allowing employees into the premises, the district police machinery rose to the occasion and deployed heavy forces in and around the Collectorate building complex. The armed police force guarded all the entry points of the Collectorate.

The police arrested the CPI activists who started arriving at the Collectorate complex and shifted them to different police stations. Later, CPI Floor Leader in the Assembly Chada Venkat Reddy also arrived along with his supporters and staged a dharna in front of the Collectorate.

The police arrested and shifted them to Karimnagar One Town police station. Talking to newsmen, the CPI leaders demanded the Government to provide land to the landless poor. They reiterated that they would continue their stir till the land was allocated to the poor. They also demanded a separate Ministry to ensure proper distribution of land to the poor in the State.

Staff Reporter adds from Warangal: The dharna by CPI activists at the District Collectorate turned violent and 20 activists sustained minor injuries when police resorted to a lathicharge at different places in the district on Thursday.

Agitating in a novel way, the activists erected makeshift huts in front of the Collectorate complex and started cooking there. Despite repeated appeals by the police, the agitating activists, especially women, failed to desist from cooking at the venue.

The activists continued their agitation from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The police resumed their appeal to the agitating activists stop agitating, but the latter refused to relent, demanding an assurance from the officials. The police took the protesting leaders into custody and lodged them at the Subedari police station. CPI State committee leader S. Venkateshwarlu and other local leaders led the protest dharna.

Staff Reporter from Khammam adds: CPI leader Puvvada Nageswara Rao was among hundreds of party men who courted arrest on Thursday as part of a major protest programme organised here demanding land for the landless and house sites for the poor.

The party workers laid siege to the Collectorate seeking the implementation of the Koneru Ranga Rao Committee recommendations. The protesters squatted in front of the gates and prevented the employees from attending to their duties. CPI district secretary K. Sambasiva Rao and the AP Ryothu Sangham leader, Pakalapati Venkateswar Rao, chanted slogans denouncing the failure of the Government to address the land issue. The CPI Town Secteray Salam, was injured as the police intervention resulted in a melee.

The arrested leaders were shifted to different police stations and let off later in the day. Addressing the protesters, Mr. Rao pointed out that the Government, which had been allotting thousands of acres of land to the industries, was being tight-fisted when it came to implementation of the housing programme.

He wanted the scheduled area regulation 1/70 to be amended and also demanded the issue of pattas for podu cultivation for the tribal communities in the sub plan area of the district

Staff Reporter from Adilabad adds: CPI activists on Thursday blockaded the Collectorate demanding distribution of land to the poor. Hundreds of party workers took out a rally from Ramnagar to the Collectorate before it culminated in a meeting at the gate of the office. The agitators later submitted a memorandum to Collector Ahmad Nadeem.

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