Telangana Government’s efforts to woo the farmers received a major blow when police in Khammam district produced some farmers in the court in handcuffs.
The handcuffed farmers, who were arrested in connection with the ransacking of the Chilly Market Yard in protest against the sharp decline in the price earlier this month, were brought on Thursday morning from the district jail to the court. The scene evoked a strong condemnation from the farmers’ community as well as the opposition parties who demanded an apology from the Chief Minister.
Khammam city police Commission Tafseer Iqbal also expressed his unhappiness over the incident and ordered Deputy Commissioner of Police to conduct inquiry on why the police had to handcuff the farmers. “Stringent action will be taken against those responsible for this incident”, he told the media.
The scene of farmers in handcuffs left the people and the lawyers angry and dismayed. Telugu Desam MlA Sandra Venkat Veeraiah, who had come to meet the farmers expressed his resentment and demanded the removal of handcuffs immediately. “What more proof is needed that the KCR Government was resorting to anti farmer and repressive policies”, he asked.
Telangana State Congress Committee President Uttam Kumar Reddy strongly condemned the handcuffing of the farmers and demanded an apology from the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. “This is an insult to all the farmers. The Chief Minister should tender and apology and suspend the police officials responsible for the incident”, he said.
Meanwhile the district court ordered the release of the ten farmers on bail in two more cases. Earlier last week the court had granted them the bail in another case.