Minor tension in villages in AP capital region

Miscreants set fire to farm utensils

Unidentified miscreants set ablaze farm utilities at the two riverfront villages of Rayapudi and Lingayapalem at Thullur and Mangalagiri mandals in an incident which took place on Sunday night.

These villages fall under the proposed capital region of Andhra Pradesh.

Superintendent of Police, Guntur Rural, P.H.D Ramakrishna told

The Hindu that search teams were formed to capture a man wearing a monkey cap, who had reportedly given the villagers a miss after being caught. The man was believed to have been accompanied by an accomplice.

"Given the nature of incident, it could be the act of a mischief monger trying to create panic among farmers or a miscreant. We will soon nab him," said Mr. Ramakriashna.

Bundles of sticks used to support Banana Plantations, drip irrigation pipes and other farm utensils were destroyed in the fire reported in the two villages.

"I was working at my home when someone called me to say that he saw a fire at my field. I rushed to find bundles of sticks set ablaze. Meanwhile, a few farmers came and said that their fields were too set on fire," said Srinivas, a farmer from Rayapudi.

A fire tender from Mangalagiri was rushed to douse the flames.

Farmers, infuriated over the nature of attack on farmers, have alleged that some sections favouring land pooling, could have been behind the attack. Most farmers in these village have been stoically resisting any moves to pool their lands for construction of a capital.

Primary Agricultural Cooperative Society, Rayapudi president, Mallela Harindranath Chowdary said that farmers in at least four villages have said that farm utensils in their fields have been set on fire.