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Police prevent bid by Dalits to reclaim land; CPM leaders held
The police foiled the ploughing of the land being used for construction of a tank under Neeru Chettu at Devarapalli village in Parchur mandal and arrested CPM state secretary P Madhu and other leaders before they reached the place. A tense situation prevailed as the police took control of the village and set up pickets at Devarapalli.
Ongole: The police foiled the ploughing of the land being used for construction of a tank under Neeru Chettu at Devarapalli village in Parchur mandal and arrested CPM state secretary P Madhu and other leaders before they reached the place.A tense situation prevailed as the police took control of the village and set up pickets at Devarapalli.
According to CPM district secretary Punati Anjaneyulu, 39 families of Dalits in the village have been cultivating a 22-acre land for the past 50 years. Now the government selected these lands for constructing a tank for the agriculture needs of the farmers belonging to upper castes in the village under Neeru Chettu scheme.
So the officials forced the Dalits out of their lands and started the tank works by digging the land with proclainers and the local leaders sold the soil. The CPM and its allied farmers’ unions extended support to the farmers’ families, who didn’t get their land back even after several representations to the higher authorities. Chirala DSP Prem Kajal and her force took control of the village and made preventive arrests of several leaders since Sunday night.
They used video camera drones for surveillance of the village and inspect gathering of people on the streets. As announced, the CPM State secretary P Madhu, Punati Anjaneyulu, AP Kaulu Raitula Sangham district secretary Pentyala Hanumanta Rao, CITU Parchur division secretary Battula Hanumanta Rao and other leaders left for Devarapalli village on Monday morning.
The police arrested the CPM leaders at Annambhotlavari Palem and shifted them to the Martur police station. They were later released in the evening. Madhu said, “It is truly undemocratic to obstruct our visit to the village. The Dalit farmers are cultivating the land for generations and they have every right to continue it.
The MLA is behind the officials and encouraging them to force Dalits from their ancestors’ lands. It is just beginning of a large movement to reclaim the land rights of Dalits who lost their lands in the name of Neeru Chettu. I will come back and conduct a meeting definitely at the same village Devarapalli where my entrance is obstructed with police force now.”
