Tractor runs over 60-year-old farmer at procurement centre in Karimnagar

KARIMNAGAR: A 60-year-old farmer was killed after a tractor loaded with food grains ran over him when he was sleeping waiting for the officials to purchase his produce. The tragic incident took place here at Vachunur village of Thimmapur mandal in Karimnagar district in the early hours of Saturday.

 The farmer, identified as Uppuleti Mondaiah, brought his produce to the procurement centre at Thimmapur two days ago to sell and was waiting for the officials to purchase his food grains.

 Unaware of when the officials would purchase his grain and at what time the procurement centre would be opened, Mondaiah was waiting at the centre for the past two days and was sleeping by the paddy heap he brought with him to the procurement centre.

 On Saturday morning, a tractor with a heavy load of food grains that came to the procurement centre ran over Mondaiah who was sleeping at the centre covering a tarpaulin sheet. Mondaiah died on the spot.

The police officials who received the information from the locals rushed to the spot and shifted the body for postmortem. They arrested the tractor driver and registered a case against him.

 Meanwhile, farmers staged a protest alleging that due to an inordinate delay in procuring paddy by officials, many farmers were losing their lives waiting at the procurement centres. Farmers had to wait for days at the procurement centres and were dying at the procurement centres by lightning or due to snake bites or other tragic incidents like this, the farmers rued.

They demanded the state government do justice to the deseased farmer Mondaiah by helping his bereaved family members.