Jagtial: A person sprayed petrol and lit a fire during a visit by officials, resulting in burns to two of them in Thungur village of Birpur mandal in this district on Tuesday.
Police said the youth had blocked the way for some 15 families who lived near the Thungur bus stand. The way to their houses was an internal road starting from the main road between Birpur and the Munnur bridge.
“Chukka Gangadhar encroached the internal road and blocked it by piling sticks and iron materials. The issue went before the local officials and village panchayats. But Gangadhar would not listen to them,” police said.
The harried villagers visited the district headquarters and gave a complaint to the grievance cell. District collector G. Ravi asked officials to investigate and settle the dispute.
Tahsildar Mohammad Fareeduddin, assistant SI Goutham and Mandal Parishad Officer Ramakrishna Raju went to the village for an inquiry. When the officials were trying to clear the way, Gangadhar rushed in carrying a sprinkler bottle with petrol in it. He started throwing the fuel on the officials and in the surrounding area and then lit a fire. The ASI received burns. PMO Ramakrishna Raju was also injured and he was immediately shifted to the government hospital at Jagtial.
Villagers say Gangadhar brought a sprinkler bottle used in the agriculture fields for spraying pesticides and filled it with petrol.
After collector Ravi ordered the police officials to take immediate action against Gangadhar, he was arrested and a case registered against him.
Additional collector Latha and local MLA Sanjay Kumar visited the government hospital and consoled MPO Ramakrishna Raju who sustained minor injuries. His condition was stable.
