Southern States - Andhra Pradesh   

Ryots protest Collector's 'rude behaviour'

By Our Staff Reporter

NALGONDA APRIL 17. More than 200 farmers staged a rasta roko in Bhongir on Thursday alleging that the Collector, Ram Prakash Sisodia, "manhandled'' a farmer at a fodder distribution centre.

According ryot leaders, the Collector physically threw a farmer, Rami Reddy of Bommaipally village, out of the venue following an altercation over the price of fodder in full public view. Mr. Sisodia reportedly lost his cool when the farmer asked officials to show him the receipts related to the sale of fodder.

Irate farmers led by leaders of the Congress, the CPI(M), the BJP and the TRS staged a rasta roko on the national highway demanding an apology from the Collector. But, he reportedly left the place amid slogan-shouting by farmers.

Later, the farmers changed the place of protest on the request of the police to the Animal Husbandry office, which held the programme. As the ryots were turning violent, the JD, Animal Husbandry, Tirupataiah, reportedly tendered an apology to the farmers.

Then the farmers withdrew but in the evening they gathered in Bhongir demanding stern action against the Collector.

Talking to The Hindu later, Mr. Sisodia denied the farmers' allegation and expressed his readiness to face an independent enquiry. He said the issue was "blown out of proportion'' but admitted that he had pushed the farmer out of the fodder distribution centre.

``One of the persons who was among the farmers was obstructing our distribution work and not letting us to go ahead with our work by posing all nonsensical questions,'' he claimed. His name did not figure in the list of beneficiaries that was prepared by the Animal Husbandry Department but he was pestering officials, he added.

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Stories in this Section

• Govt. to move SC against Karnataka
• Ramamurthy Naidu's dharna throws traffic out of gear
• Ryots protest Collector's 'rude behaviour'
• Five lakh tonnes of rice for panchayats
• YSR yatra altering equations in Cong.

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