Mallanna Sagar protest turns bloody జూలై 31, 2016

Police cane villagers, lob tear gas shells as Mallanna Sagar protest turns bloody

Express News Service, 25 July 2016

SANGAREDDY: The Mallanna Sagar project oustees agitation took a ‘bloody’ turn on Sunday with police caning the villagers, resulting in injuries to dozens of people. Police opened fire in the air and lobbed tear gas shells to bring the situation under control.

All Opposition parties called for Medak district bandh on Monday protesting against the police action against the villagers. It is alleged that the police caned the villagers, including women and children indiscriminately, and even dragged people out of their houses and beat them up.

Women fell unconscious after being lathicharged during a protest | Express photo

Two of the submergence villages, Erravelli and Vemulaghat, resembled war zone with the locals fighting a pitched battle with police throughout most part of the day. Trouble began when some villagers of Vemulaghat, who were on a 50-day relay hunger strike against the Mallanna Sagar project, tried to lay siege to national highway protesting the government’s attitude in going ahead with the project inspite of objection from locals.

The villagers were stopped near Pallepahad crossroads. Police stopped them from marching ahead citing imposition of prohibitory orders in the villages. The villagers entered into a heated argument with police and a scuffle ensued between the two sides. Police caned the villagers and in the lathicharge, eight villagers including women were injured. Two women fell unconscious. At the same time, the villagers of Erravelli were holding a grama sabha in their village. As they got the news of police action on Vemulaghat villagers, the Erravelli villagers too decided to lay seige on the national highway and marched towards the main road. (మరింత…)