JANGAON: A Village Revenue Assistant (VRA), N Abbaiah, and his family staged a rasta roko on the Siddipet-Suryapet National Highway (NH) on Saturday, demanding that the social boycott imposed on them by the elders of the Mudiraj community in Devaruppula village be withdrawn.
Abbaiah said that a few days ago, the caste elders of the village had decided to appoint VRAs via the rotation system. He urged them not to and wanted them to make his position permanent. The elders agreed, but asked him to pay Rs 3 lakh in return, which would be used for the development of the community. He managed to pay them Rs 2 lakh, but as he couldn’t pay the rest, the elders decided to banish him and his family from all the community.
On Friday, the women of family were prevented from participating in a Bathukamma celebration organised by the community members. Upset over the incident, Abbaiah approached the elders again, but his efforts at reconciliation were in vain. The VRA’s protest on Saturday brought traffic to a standstill on the NH. Devaruppula Sub-Inspector (SI) M Raju and other police personnel rushed to the spot and convinced the family to end their protest.