KHAMMAM: The farmers of Andhra Pradesh attacked the staff of Bhadrachalam Ramalayam on Sunday during a heated argument between them. Farmers of Purushottapatnam village of Ettapaka mandal of Alluri Sitaramaraju district in AP which is close to Bhadrachalam, staged a protest on Sunday after the temple authorities began felling the trees in lands that belonged to the temple.
The temple has 900 acres of land in Purushottapatnam. The Supreme Court, in a ruling, stated that the lands belonged to the temple. As the lands are in the limits of AP, the temple authorities were unable to evict the encroachers. Against this backdrop, temple executive officer L Rama Devi was supervising work in the temple lands when the farmers came and stopped them.
The staff were cutting the trees on the land when the farmers who encroached on the lands arrived and argued with the temple officials. The farmers questioned how the officials, without giving notice to them, would fall the trees. The EO replied that the entire property belonged to the temple and they had got all rights over the land and started the development works.
A heated argument took place between the farmers and the temple authorities. In a fit of emotion, the farmers attacked the temple staff. A few temple staff along with executive engineer V Ravinder and a priest sustained injuries. The police rushed to the spot and disbursed both the officials and the farmers. They then shifted the injured temple staff to the hospital. Later, the EO, the temple officials, and the staff staged a dharna on the temple grounds demanding justice.