16 people arrested for attacking officials in Telangana's Vikarabad district

Hyderabad, Nov 12 (PTI) Sixteen people were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly attacking officials during a protest in a village, organised against the acquisition of their lands for proposed pharmaceutical companies in Vikarabad district, police said.
Three officials - an Additional Collector, Kodangal Area Development Authority (KADA) chairman and a DSP rank police official - were injured when some people in Lagacharla village of Dudyala mandal allegedly attacked them on Monday.

While a public hearing was proposed to be conducted by the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC) on the village outskirts, a BRS youth wing leader approached district Collector Prateek Jain requesting him to visit the village, where farmers would give their opinion.

The Collector accepted the request and visited the village along with other officials in order to hear the farmers' views, where they were confronted by a mob, police said.

The protesters jostled Prateek Jain besides hurling stones at his vehicle and that of other district authorities.

"57 people were taken into custody on Tuesday in connection with the incident. After verifying their role in the incident, 16 of them were arrested for being involved in the attack. The remaining people were released," a senior police official said. More arrests will be there based on further investigation, he added.
A BRS youth wing leader who allegedly "pre-planned" and instigated the attack was on the run, the official said. Three FIRs are registered on the incident, and authorities suspended internet services in Dudyala mandal.
The situation is under control now and additional police personnel have been deployed. Further investigation is on.
    Reacting to the incident, Telangana Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu said the state government took the attack on the officials seriously and it would conduct a thorough probe into the incident. It was clear from visuals of the incident that some tried to provoke the people in the village and attack the District Collector and other officials, he said.
    "Who asked the Collector to visit the village from the venue (of public hearing)? Who tried to attack them after they went there? Who are the conspirators behind this? A thorough probe will be conducted. Those who try to stall the government's welfare and development programmes will not be spared," he told reporters here.
    While the government provides a forum for people to express their views, any rowdyism to intimidate government machinery would not be tolerated, he said.
    Sridhar Babu alleged that main opposition BRS, out of frustration of losing power, is creating hurdles for the Congress government's welfare and development initiatives at every step ever since it assumed power 10 months ago.
    The BRS had tried to stall the Group 1 services exam which was recently conducted for the first time after the formation of Telangana 10 years ago, he said.
BRS Working President K T Rama Rao attacked the Congress government for "arresting farmers during midnight". "BRS condemns the arrest of farmers and opposes police action. BRS supports the struggle of Lagacharla village," Rama Rao said on X.
    The village is part of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy's assembly constituency of Kodangal in Vikarabad district.
Meanwhile, employees of revenue and other departments held a protest in Vikarabad district, wearing black badges, against the attack on the officials.PTI VVK SJR GDK ADB
VVK ADB ROH

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)