PNS|Guntur
The police foiled the ‘Maha Dharna’ of farmers by arresting them at various places on Tuesday in the district. The farmers proposed to organise maha darna in front of the Collector’s office demanding the government to extend the Guntur channel to Purchur here on Tuesday.
Large number of farmers under the aegis of Guntur Channel Joint Forum came to the streets demanding the government to extend the channel to Purchur. They embarked fasts in front of the Collector’s office for a couple weeks for which the opposition parties and unions of farmers extended solidarity.
The unions of farmers gave a call to organize a Maha Darna in Guntur on Tuesday to exert pressure on the government for extension of Guntur channel to Purchur. However the police arrested the farmers and their union leaders at various places. At some places, the farmers staged a darna squatting on the road but the police whisked them away to the police station.
The police held the farmers at Purchur, Pedanandipadu, Kakumanu and Prthipadu who were going to the Collector’s office to participate in Mahadarna. Large number of women farmers also came to the streets to participate in the programme.
The women farmers squatted on the national highway for an hour resulting in hundreds of vehicles getting stranded either side of the road. The police dragged the women farmers from the highway and whisked them away to Chebrolu police station.
The police arrested some farmers at Pulladigunta centre. In protest against the arrests, the farmers squatted on the road here raising slogans against the police harassment which led to a tense situation for some time. The police arrested several farmers and their leaders and took them to Nallapadu and Nagarampalem police stations.
Nallamada Rythu Sangam leader Kolla Ramamohan Rao, Ginjupalli Venkateswara Rao, Emmalli Mallikharjun Rao, AP Congress Kisan vice president Ankamma Chowdary and Nimmagadda Gopinath were among those who were arrested.
Former minister and Farmers’ union state leader Vadde Sobhanadri, Congress leader Sunkara Padma and CPM leader Pasham Rama Rao extended solidarity with the agitating farmers. They condemned the arrests of farmers and their leaders. They demanded the government to take steps to resolve the Guntur Channel extension issue.
