RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: Ten families in Pithanivaripalem village, on the outskirts of Mulaparru in Penugonda mandal of West Godavari district, have allegedly faced social ostracism over political differences following the recent ZPTC and MPTC elections.
Members of a BC community have allegedly imposed restrictions on the families, denied them access to essential commodities and drinking water, and threatened them with social boycott for not complying with decisions taken by elders.
The affected alleged that elders imposed restrictions based on surnames, despite belonging to the same community as the other villagers. They claimed that some families were denied of drinking water and were also prevented from fetching it from neighbours.
The victims said they feared sending their children to school because of possible attacks by members of opposing group. They appealed to the officials to provide protection and ensure access to basic necessities.
The dispute reportedly followed local body elections, with YSRCP supporters allegedly isolated by TDP-backed majority members within the same BC community. Pithani Subrahmanyam and Pithani Veera Venkata Satyanarayana, among those, lodged a complaint with the local police over the election-related dispute. They also submitted a representation to former MLA Ranganath Raju, seeking his intervention.
Meanwhile, Tahsildar Anita Kumari, Circle Inspector (CI) Vijay Kumar and Sub-Inspector (SI) Gangadhara Rao visited the village and enquired into the allegations.
Speaking to TNIE, the CI said the tahsildar and police officials had held discussions with both groups. He said the dispute involved some families and a group over differences from ZPTC and MPTC polls.
Revenue officials had issued notices and convened a meeting to resolve the issue. No case had been registered so far, he said, adding that police were monitoring it to prevent further escalation.
