Telangana: Lagacharla victims complain to NHRC, SC/ST Commission
Hyderabad, Nov 18 : The victims of alleged forceful land acquisition in Lagacharla village in Telangana’s Vikarabad district on Monday complained to the National Human Rights Commission, SC/ST Commission, and Women’s Commission about police atrocities.
Tribal women, farmers, and marginalised communities highlighted the alleged oppressive measures by the state government.
Accompanied by the leaders of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), they met the officials of the three panels in New Delhi and complained about midnight raids, arrests, and harassment and demanded justice.
Police arrested several people for their alleged involvement in the attack on Vikarabad District Collector and other officials at Lagacharla village on November 11 during the public hearing on the proposed ‘Pharma Village’, a cluster of pharma companies.
Former BRS MLA Patnam Narender Reddy is among those arrested. The ruling Congress party has blamed BRS for the attack on officials while the latter attributed it to the ‘revolt by people’ in Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s constituency.
The villagers alleged that they were being forced to leave their lands. They said police were harassing them and even assaulting women.
They alleged that late-night police operations involved cutting off electricity, forcefully entering homes, and detaining male members indiscriminately. They said police harassed women, including pregnant women. Some alleged sexual misconduct. Villagers claim they were assaulted, threatened, and humiliated. Many male members have fled the village in fear, while others remain untraceable.
Addressing a press conference along with the victims, BRS working President K.T. Rama Rao (KTR) accused the Congress-led administration of oppressing marginalised tribal communities and highlighted the hypocrisy of Rahul Gandhi and the Congress leadership.
"Rahul Gandhi often talks about protecting the welfare of farmers, tribals, and women. Yet, his own party's Chief Minister, Revanth Reddy, presides over atrocities in Telangana. Are the cries of tribal women and farmers in Kodangal inaudible to Rahul Gandhi?" KTR asked.
He called out Congress’s duplicity, emphasising how the same party that claims to oppose crony capitalism is now grabbing tribal lands to facilitate private projects. "Rahul Gandhi criticises Crony Capitalism but is silent on Revanth Reddy's pharma land-grabbing. This is Congress' double standard," he added.
KTR questioned the silence of national leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the Telangana atrocities. "Is Telangana invisible to national leaders? Does the plight of tribals in Lagacharla not deserve the same attention as incidents in Manipur or Dharavi?" he asked.
He urged both the BJP and Congress to break their silence and address these pressing issues. "Rahul Gandhi claims to be a friend of the marginalised, but his actions show otherwise. Revanth Reddy's tyranny must end, and Rahul Gandhi must hold his Chief Minister accountable," he demanded.
The victims warned that if justice is delayed, they would camp in Delhi until their demands are met.
BRS MLC Satyavati Rathod expressed solidarity with the victims, stating, "The Congress government has crossed all limits of tyranny. The Chief Minister's brother threatens farmers with death if they refuse to surrender their lands. Women and children are not spared from this brutality."
She emphasised that the BRS party will provide unwavering support to the victims. "We will not rest until justice is delivered. The entire nation must know about the atrocities happening in Telangana under Congress rule," she declared.