Telangana BJP seeks guv's intervention in Gauravelli project

Hyderabad, June 15:  The opposition BJP in Telangana on Wednesday sought intervention of Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan in rendering justice to those displaced by the Gauravelli project in Siddipet district.

The BJP also demanded action against the police officers who 'perpetrated brutalities on the innocent villagers of Gudatipally'.

A delegation of BJP leaders led by state party president Bandi Sanjay Kumar met the governor at the Raj Bhavan to make a representation.

They demanded that evacuees should be paid compensation under suitable Rehabilitation and Resettlement package by the state government.

The BJP alleged that the police resorted to indiscriminate lathi-charge on the land evacuees of Gauravelli-Gandipalle project in Husnabad assembly constituency in Siddipet district after midnight of June 13.

More than 500 police personnel swooped on Gudatipalli village at around 3 a.m., cut the power supply, barged into the houses of the evacuees, pulled them out and resorted to lathi-charge indiscriminately, it said

It alleged that the police roughed up the people without sparing even children, women and elders. They did not follow even the basic norm of deploying women police while arresting women.

"Many villagers were injured in the police attack and several women had fallen unconscious. On the following day (June 14), when the villagers were staging a silent and peaceful protest, the police instigated the Telangana Rashtra Samithi workers against them. Instead of coming to the rescue of peaceful protesters, the police caned them again, injuring many of them," the memorandum said.

The BJP delegation took seven of those injured to Raj Bhavan "The only crime committed by these villagers was to ask for a R&R package as per law. Though the villagers made it clear to the government that they were not against the project and all that they wanted was proper compensation, the police did not heed to their appeal and assaulted them indiscriminately," said a memorandum submitted to the governor.

The governor was told that more than 1,000 evacuees have been fighting for justice for several years. In the meantime, some of the minors have grown into majors and became eligible for compensation. Even the old people have not got their R&R package. Many issues pertaining to land evacuation still remain unresolved.