Tullur Farmers accuse police torture

Say police call them for interrogation at midnight and tap the phones of their children who live abroad

Penumaka (Guntur): It is exactly one month the rich agriculture fields of Thulluru were set on fire, yet the government has failed to arrest the accused till now. Moreover, farmers of the capital region feel that they are being victimised by the police as they are called to the police station at midnight in the name of investigation.

Farmers also accuse the police of tapping their phones. They allege that the police are summoning them to the police station or outpost at midnight and questioning them for giving up their lands for pooling for the capital. The police, who are yet to complete the probe into the fire accident in the farmlands, opened at least one outpost in every village. In addition, a large number of armed personnel were also posted here for patrolling. The armed police are on regular patrol in all these 29 capital region villages. They are also on a vigil along the Krishna river bund from Prakasam Barrage to Borupalem to keep an eye on the movements of antisocial elements in the wake of the fire accident. The State government had already announced that it would bring the culprits to book but failed to arrest even one till date. The police have widely publicised a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh if information about the suspects is given to them.

Kallam Aravinda Reddy, a farmer from Penumaka village said the police were now taking the mobile numbers of their children living in other countries and were tapping their phones too. “We are now being scanned for everything. Our phones are being tapped and we are being called individually to the police stations for questioning. This is causing panic among farmers and farm labourers,” Aravinda Reddy said.

Aluri Krishna Rao of Thulluru village accused the police of taking farmers to the police station at midnight for questioning. “I am not able to understand why a farmer should go to the police station after 11 at night,” Krishna Rao asked.

Home Minister N Chinarajappa, Minister for Agriculture P Pulla Rao, Minister for Municipal Administration P Narayana and DGP J V Ramudu had claimed that they had enough clues about the accused and would name them soon. But nothing had happened till date and the farmers are being scanned and questioned by the police every night.

“What prevented the police to arrest the accused if the fire was a conspiracy as accused by the Chief Minister and other Ministers? Why are they harassing innocent farmers,” Aravinda Reddy wondered. He said they would be forced to launch an agitation if the police failed to stop the midnight interrogation and tapping of their phones.

D Gopi