Amid beefed-up security and protests by displaced Dalits, the contractor entrusted with “Neeru Pragathi” work began digging of the government wasteland abutting the water course ‘Krishnamrajukunta’ at Devarapalli, near Parchur, on Thursday.
Police cordoned off all routes leading to the sleepy village and bundled into vans about 40 Dalits, who had been enjoying the ‘kunta poramboke’, given to them for having undergone family planning operations for decades, and paved the way for digging of about 40 acres by engaging 17 earthmovers.
Oppn. leaders arrested
Meanwhile, leaders of opposition parties, including CPI(M) State secretary P. Madhu, CPI(M) State Secretariat member Y.V. Rao, Congress district president Eda Sudhakar Reddy, and CPI Ongole unit president U. Prakasa Rao, were detained at different police stations as they tried to proceed to Devarapalli. In all, about 110 protesters were arrested.
“Opposition party activists and Dalits in the village were detained to prevent flaring up of a law and order problem. The situation in the village is peaceful,” said Superintendent of Police B. Satya Yesu Babu. Chirala Deputy SP Prem Kajal and District Crimes Record Bureau (DCRB) Deputy SP B. Mariyadas along with 300 police personnel camped in the village and towns en route to avert trouble.
Mr. Madhu asserted the CPI(M) along with YSR Congress and other like-minded parties would wage a relentless struggle until the land “usurped” from Dalits was returned to them. Meanwhile, YSR Congress Party Chief Whip in Parliament Y.V. Subba Reddy called on Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and National SC/ST Ram Shankar Katheria in New Delhi and sought their intervention in the issue.
Eightyfive-year-old Sampoornamma, who got 40 cents for undergoing family planning operation during the Indira Gandhi regime asked: “How can we eke out a living when even a small piece of land given to each of us is taken away?”
“We will definitely get back our land on Jagan anna coming to power,” said Sangeethamma, who grew cotton, chilli, tobacco before the govt. put up a board warning trespassers.
