ONGOLE: Tension prevailed in Devarapalli and surrounding villages of Parchur mandal in Prakasam district on Thursday following preventive arrest of CPM and YSRCP activists who were planning to stage a protest in Devarapalli against the construction of an irrigation tank in 22 acres of land belonging to 45 Dalit families under the Neeru-Pragathi programme.
Having learnt that the works were being taken up for the construction of the tank by engaging 17 JCBs, the CPM and YSRCP activists left for the village to extend their support to protesting Dalit farmers. However, they were arrested. A huge police force was deployed in the village to prevent any obstruction to the tank construction works.
The agitating Dalit farmers said the 22 acres of land in survey No 54/1 was in their possession for more than six decades and they had been cultivating the land for a couple of generations now.
The farmers said they were even issued land pattas in 1975. There is no truth in the revenue officials’ claim that it was poramboke land. “How can they say it is a poramboke land, when it is under cultivation and pattas were issued for it,” a farmer questioned.
The Left party leaders accused the upper caste people of the village of grabbing the land with the help of local MLA and some TDP leaders under false claims and using the same for the construction of the tank to irrigate their own lands. Dalit farmers, led by the CPM State secretary P Madhu, tried to take back their lands last month. But their attempt was foiled by the police. Madhu and other Left party leaders were arrested at that time. Meanwhile, Ongole MP YV Subba Reddy took the issue to the notice of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and the SC, ST Commission Chairman seeking justice to Dalit farmers of Devarapalli.