A farmer, R Krishna Rao, native of Jayantpur village under the Jarada police station in Ganjam district, threatened to immolate himself on March 10 in front of Brahmapur SP (Police) Office, if the accused persons who had made a brutal attack on him and his family members with weapons on November 20 last are not arrested and punished, said Rao at a Press conference here on Sunday.
According to information available, Rao had tied his female calf with his tractor parked in front of his house at his village and left for work. Being aggrieved with this, the members of village committee, in his absence, decided to impose a fine of Rs 50,000 on him for this act. When Rao returned home and came to know from the village security guard about the imposition of penalty, he expressed his inability to pay such a huge amount. The committee on November 19, 2015 had reportedly prevented Rao from using water and fire and allegedly threatened him to leave the village. When Rao did not leave the village, a group of villagers allegedly led by some anti-socials and vested groups came to his house with weapons, abused him in unparliamentarily language and reportedly threatened him to kill.
Rao further said that, being scared, he closed the door and remained inside apprehending danger to his life. In the meantime, the miscreants abused his wife in filthy language, pulled her, and pushed his tractor and cut the tiers in anger, Rao alleged.
“Having seen their brutality, I left the village on that night with my family in panic and came to Brahmapur where I am taking shelter since then,” he said. Rao though met the district administration, namely, Collector, SP (Police), Sub-Collector, Human Rights Commission, and Jarada police station and appraised them all about his sufferings, but no tangible action so far has been taken on the accused persons and villagers. On the contrary, all have paid deaf ear to his complaints, he alleged. Even though, during his meeting with the district Collector in Public Grievance Cell on February 22 last, he was assured of steps at the earliest, but in vain, he alleged. Rao alleged that in his absence in village, the villagers have burnt his tractor. When Rao went to Police Station to file FIR against the villagers about the incident, the police expressed their inability to take up the investigation as it did not dared to enter into the village as the villagers are united and can gherao the police, Rao pointed out.
Rao came to know that, within a day or two the villagers are contemplating to destroy his house and in case he goes to protest, they will bury him, he disclosed.