3 Ryots, Student, 10 Cops Injured In Nizamabad Firing, Stone-Pelting
A farmers’ agitation in Nizamabad turned violent with three of them and a student sustaining injuries in police firing and lathicharge in Armoor town on Monday. Ten policemen were injured in stone-pelting by farmers and seven vehicles burnt by the protesters. The farmers have been on an agitation for the last few days demanding that seed dealer Mahipal Reddy, a relative of Banswada Congress MLA Baji Reddy Govardhan Reddy, pay up money for the red jowar seeds he bought from them. There are 21 seed dealers in Nizamabad who buy jowar seeds from the farmers each year and sell in North India during April-May. This year, while most of the seed dealers offered Rs 12 a kg for the seeds, Mahipal offered them Rs 15. Lured by the extra money, the farmers sold their seeds to Mahipal who, however, could not sell the seeds and pay up the farmers. The ryots have been demanding for the last few days that Mahipal pay up their money while the state has been maintaining that it had no role to play in the matter. Agitated farmers ransacked the residence of Mahipal at Mamidipalli crossroads and set it on fire. The police tried to control the situation by resorting to lathicharge but were hopelessly outnumbered, resulting in farmers chasing them into nearby houses for shelter. The protesters then ransacked the houses of Anand Reddy, another seed dealer, and set on fire the vehicles belonging to the local DSP and tehsildars of Armoor and Bheemgal. The police resorted to firing in the air in which one farmer, Shankar, received bullet injuries. Three others, including two farmers Rajanna and Gangaram and a student Swamy, were injured in the lathicharge. According to Nizamabad SP Rajesh Kumar, government property worth Rs 17 lakh was damaged by the protesters. The agitation soon took political overtones. While TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao, BJP leader N Indrasena Reddy and TDP former minister M Venkateshwara Rao sympathised with the farmers at the site, Congress leaders from the district including Speaker K R Suresh Reddy, PCC president D Srinivas, energy minister Md Shabbir Ali and several MLAs met chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy in Hyderabad and urged his intervention. Finally, on Monday evening, the state issued a GO directing the seeds corporation to take over the responsibility of payment of Rs 12 per kg of the seeds to the farmers and also obtain any remaining stocks from them. Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy took serious note of the incident. During a meeting with officials in the state capital, he sought details of the incident and expressed his displeasure over the events leading to the police firing. He announced that the government-owned Andhra Pradesh Seeds Development Corporation would buy the rest of red jowar seeds from the farmers at the rate of Rs.12 per kg. He directed officials to ensure that farmers do not suffer any losses. Farmers in different parts of the state have been holding protests to demand adequate supply of fertilizers and seeds for the new crop season.
A farmers’ agitation in Nizamabad turned violent with three of them and a student sustaining injuries in police firing and lathicharge in Armoor town on Monday. Ten policemen were injured in stone-pelting by farmers and seven vehicles burnt by the protesters. The farmers have been on an agitation for the last few days demanding that seed dealer Mahipal Reddy, a relative of Banswada Congress MLA Baji Reddy Govardhan Reddy, pay up money for the red jowar seeds he bought from them. There are 21 seed dealers in Nizamabad who buy jowar seeds from the farmers each year and sell in North India during April-May. This year, while most of the seed dealers offered Rs 12 a kg for the seeds, Mahipal offered them Rs 15. Lured by the extra money, the farmers sold their seeds to Mahipal who, however, could not sell the seeds and pay up the farmers. The ryots have been demanding for the last few days that Mahipal pay up their money while the state has been maintaining that it had no role to play in the matter. Agitated farmers ransacked the residence of Mahipal at Mamidipalli crossroads and set it on fire. The police tried to control the situation by resorting to lathicharge but were hopelessly outnumbered, resulting in farmers chasing them into nearby houses for shelter. The protesters then ransacked the houses of Anand Reddy, another seed dealer, and set on fire the vehicles belonging to the local DSP and tehsildars of Armoor and Bheemgal. The police resorted to firing in the air in which one farmer, Shankar, received bullet injuries. Three others, including two farmers Rajanna and Gangaram and a student Swamy, were injured in the lathicharge. According to Nizamabad SP Rajesh Kumar, government property worth Rs 17 lakh was damaged by the protesters. The agitation soon took political overtones. While TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao, BJP leader N Indrasena Reddy and TDP former minister M Venkateshwara Rao sympathised with the farmers at the site, Congress leaders from the district including Speaker K R Suresh Reddy, PCC president D Srinivas, energy minister Md Shabbir Ali and several MLAs met chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy in Hyderabad and urged his intervention. Finally, on Monday evening, the state issued a GO directing the seeds corporation to take over the responsibility of payment of Rs 12 per kg of the seeds to the farmers and also obtain any remaining stocks from them. Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy took serious note of the incident. During a meeting with officials in the state capital, he sought details of the incident and expressed his displeasure over the events leading to the police firing. He announced that the government-owned Andhra Pradesh Seeds Development Corporation would buy the rest of red jowar seeds from the farmers at the rate of Rs.12 per kg. He directed officials to ensure that farmers do not suffer any losses. Farmers in different parts of the state have been holding protests to demand adequate supply of fertilizers and seeds for the new crop season.
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