Telangana: Farmers in cuffs trigger outrage

Khammam: Ten farmers who had been arrested for creating a ruckus at the Khammam market yard were produced in a local court on Thursday, in handcuffs, triggering instant outrage.

The Supreme Court has ruled against the use of handcuffs and other fetters, either in jail or while being transported between jail and court, for both undertrials and convicted prisoners.

The farmers were not aware of the ruling and did not object to being handcuffed. They had been arrested for allegedly vandalising the Khammam market yard after traders formed a cartel and pushed down the price of chilli and the market yard committee did not intervene.

Anand Rao, one of the farmers, said, “We were asked to stand in a row and while bringing us from the jail, the police tied our hands with iron chains.”

Farmers and the general public were outraged at the handcuffing. Different frontal organisations and political parties condemned it and staged dharna on the roads.

As criticism from Opposition parties and rights activists mounted, the government suspended two armed reserve sub-inspectors — A Venkateswara  Rao and Poorna Naik — for handcuffing the farmers.

This decision was taken by North Zone IGP Y. Nagi Reddy, following a report sent by the Khammam commissioner of police, Tafseer Iqbal, narrating the circumstances surrounding the handcuffing.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has constituted an inquiry committee led by deputy commissioner of police Saikrishna. Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao termed the incident as ‘unfortunate.”