Bandi arrested, Kamareddy shut down for farmers bandh

KAMAREDDY: State BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar was arrested on Friday night at the Kamareddy district collectorate amid heightened tensions while leading a protest in support of farmers agitating against the Telangana government's move to convert farmland into an industrial zone.

Sanjay, accompanied by a large number of BJP workers, sought to enter the collectorate to meet with the collector but was denied entry, and several BJP workers were injured in the scuffle when police caned the protesters. A police van was partially damaged when BJP supporters prevented police officials from transferring Sanjay.

Before reaching Kamareddy, Sanjay met with the family of Payyavula Ramulu, 38, who died by suicide during the ongoing 20-day protest against the master plan. After meeting with the farmer's family, Sanjay slammed the government, stating that its anti-farmer policies were to blame for the farmer's suicide.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Kamareddy DSP Muthineni Somanatham stated the situation was under control and that no untoward incidents had occurred during the bandh.

Farmers continued their agitation in Kamareddy earlier in the day following a call given by the farmers joint action committee, and a total bandh was observed in the town, with businesses, educational institutions, hotels, and cinema halls shutting down. Several BJP and Congress leaders were arrested during the day.
The agitation has intensified with the suicide of Ramulu of Adloor Yellareddy, who feared that his 1.2-acre land would be acquired by the government for the proposed industrial zone.

Security was ramped up across the district when farmers from Adloor, Adloor Yellareddy, Ilchipur, where the industrial zone is proposed, arrived in groups and staged rasta rokos and dharnas demanding the scrapping of the proposed industrial zone, while raising slogans against the BRS government, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, and government whip Gampa Govardhan.
As both the BJP and the Congress pledged their support for the bandh, the police arrested numerous leaders as a precautionary measure and took them into police custody.

Senior Congress leader Mohammad Ali Shabbir, former zilla parishad chairman and BJP leader K.P.Venkataramana Reddy, Kisan Congress state president Sunket Anvesh Reddy, and district Congress committee president Kailas Srinivas Rao were among those arrested. They were shifted to police stations in Rajampet and Kamareddy town.

Kisan Congress vice-president Kodanda Reddy addressed the dharna, saying that the master plan would harm thousands of farmers and take away their livelihood. Condemning Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao, he claimed that the BRS government forced farmers to abandon their lands and take to the streets in order to safeguard their lands.

Speaking at rasta roko in front of Kamareddy railway station, former minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir said that the Congress party would not stop agitation until the state government withdraws the proposed new master plan for Kamareddy municipality.

Shabbir Ali claimed that the industrial zone planning was flawed and was designed to benefit the real estate sector, and that the Telangana government planned to take over the lands in order to make Rs 20,000 crore by selling the fertile farmland.