Land grab charge against Narayana, Prathipati

CID action follows complaint by a Dalit woman that she was forced to sell her land for a pittance

The Crime Investigation Department registered cases against former Ministers P. Narayana and Prathipati Pulla Rao and a former sarpanch from Venkatapalem — Bellamkonda Narasimha Rao — over allegations of land grabbing, cheating and intimidation in the Capital region during 2014-19.

This follows the decision of the government to get allegations involving assigned land investigated. Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy had stated in the Assembly that TDP leaders and their supporters had threatened Dalits and pocketed huge tracts of assigned land.

The CID booked cases under Sections 420, 506 and 120-B of IPC and Sections 3 (1), (9) of the SC, ST (POA) Amendment Act, 2015, on the basis of a complaint lodged by a Dalit woman from Venkatapalem that she was forced to sell her assigned land measuring 90 cents at a throwaway price.

Pothuraju Bujji alleged that Mr. Narasihma Rao had called her to his house in October 2015 and told her that the government would take her over the land for the construction of the Capital and that she would not get any compensation.

On October 20, 2015, Mr. Narasimha Rao, in the presence of Mr. Narayana and Pulla Rao gave her ₹20 lakh and made her sign on blank stamp papers and white papers. He gave an additional ₹4 lakh in April 2016, the woman alleged.

In December 2016, Mr. Narasimha Rao, on behalf of her family, registered the land with the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) in return for developed plots, and in April 2017, she had come to know that the CRDA had allotted 780 square yards of residential plot and 180 square yards of commercial plot. Later, she came to know that some people in her colony had sold returnable plots for over ₹2 crore. After realising that she had been cheated, she confronted Mr. Narasimha Rao, but he did not respond. She then decided that she would not register the plots to Mr. Narasimha Rao.

Ms. Bujji alleged Mr. Narasimha Rao had sent notices to her in May 2019 seeking possession of the land after filing a case in the senior civil judge court at Mangalagiri. She approached the CID in December 2019.