‘Forcible’ crop cutting: Balaraju seeks action against officials

The Mandal Revenue Officer, the RDO and the police officials who were involved in the forcible paddy cutting, days before the harvest, being cultivated by the adivasis in Chinna Jaggampeta in Nathavaram mandal in Visakhapatnam district, should be booked under the SC/ST Atrocities Act, said former Minister P. Balaraju.

Speaking to The Hindu , he said, “The action attracts the atrocities Act and the District Collector should take stringent action.”

The 50 adivasi families of Chinna Jaggampeta having camping outside the MRO office in Nathavaram from Thursday and are on a hunger strike, demanding action against the officials.

On January 6, MRO Kanaka Rao, along with a team of over 50 armed policemen and about 70 hired labourers, moved into the village and cut the paddy crop that was nearing harvesting, after forcibly transporting 70 of the villagers to KD Peta Police Station, located about 30 km from Chinna Jaggampeta.

And according to the adivasi farmers, it was done at the behest of a local non-tribal political leader Ankam Reddy Nookaraju.

‘Rice distributed

to farmers’

P.S. Ajay Kumar, State Co-convener of Raithu Swarajya Vedhika, pointed out that the Joint Collector should immediately initiate an inquiry, as the adivasi farmers were left to starve.

“We have collected about 130 kg of rice and distributed to the farmers. But they are more keen to get back their produce of their toil,” said Mr. Ajay.