Farmers approach NHRC against forcible land acquisition for pharma cluster by T’gana govt
Former minister and BRS legislative council member Satyavathi Rathod, who accompanied the farmers to the NHRC, accused the government of filing illegal cases against 52 farmers
Aggrieved farmers from Lagacharla village of Vikarabad district in Telangana have sought the intervention of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in New Delhi on Monday. The farmers, protesting against the alleged forcible acquisition of their lands by the state government for a proposed pharma cluster, submitted a memorandum to the NHRC.
The farmers, led by Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders, accused the government of using police force to suppress their nine-month agitation. “The Congress government is forcibly acquiring our lands to benefit pharma companies, and police excesses have turned our lives into a nightmare,” a woman farmer told reporters in Delhi.
The villagers claimed that the situation escalated following an incident on November 11, when district collector Prateek Jain and other officials visited Lagacharla without police protection. According to a farmer, some youths, unaware of the officials’ identities, attacked them, fearing a threat to their lands.
In response, police allegedly launched a crackdown, deploying over 500 personnel to the village. Villagers said that police cut electricity and internet services and assaulted the residents. “All the men were arrested, and those who escaped are in the hiding. We don’t know the whereabouts of our children, who are also being threatened with arrest,” a villager said.
Former minister and BRS legislative council member Satyavathi Rathod, who accompanied the farmers to the NHRC, accused the government of filing illegal cases against 52 farmers. BRS leader Malothu Kavitha highlighted the plight of tribal farmers, saying, “This Congress government, which came to power with tribal votes, is now tormenting the very people who supported it.”
The BRS leaders pledged to take the issue to the National Commissions for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Women. They also plan to seek the intervention of President Droupadi Murmu, who is herself a tribal.
Meanwhile, Jatothu Hussain Nayak, a member of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, visited Lagacharla on Monday to assess the situation. During his visit, women from the village recounted their experiences of police excesses and reiterated their refusal to give up their lands for the pharma cluster.
After his interaction with the villagers, Nayak proceeded to Sangareddy jail to meet the farmers who were arrested during the crackdown.
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