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The video of a Telangana cop slapping a farmer during a public agitation over urea shortage sparked widespread condemnation over the government’s handling of the crisis.
A Telangana police officer was seen assaulting a farmer in Narayanpet. (Photo: X)
A video has gone viral showing a police officer slapping a farmer amid a dispute over urea supply, sparking widespread condemnation and protests in Telangana’s Narayanpet area. The incident took place at the Primary Agricultural Cooperative Society (PACS) in Tileru on Saturday.
A massive crowd of farmers had assembled since early morning to buy urea. As supplies dwindled and demand surged, tensions escalated sharply, with frustrated farmers openly expressing anger to police officers over the acute shortage, NDTV reported.
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The police were struggling to control the impatient crowd while ensuring that things did not get out of hand. As the protests continued, a police sub-inspector was seen confronting a farmer, and then proceeded to slap him.
The farmer was identified as Satyanarayana Reddy from Rakolu village. The incident sparked furious responses, with farmers raising slogans against the police and the Congress government over unnecessary force and shortage of fertilisers.
The police have said the incident was “unintentional” or “accidental”, but the incident only fuelled frustration over how farmers were being treated.
Earlier this year, a police officer in Nirmal district was suspended after a video surfaced showing him manhandling an elderly farmer during a revenue meeting. In a separate incident, police in Jogulamba Gadwal handcuffed several farmers, prompting strong condemnation from the Telangana Farmers Commission.
Shortage Of Urea
The shortage of urea has become the centre of a political row and public unrest in Telangana, with the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) staging a “Urea Protest” at Gun Park, holding empty fertiliser bags to highlight the critical shortage of fertilisers state-wide.
BRS Working President K T Rama Rao (KTR) had criticised the Congress government, saying farmers are forced to stand in endless queues, as party legislators staged a dharna at the Agriculture Commissioner’s office, demanding an immediate supply of urea and fertilisers.
Police arrested BRS members over the protests, drawing accusations of high-handedness and silencing elected representatives instead of solving the crisis. The BRS pledged to press on with its campaign, denouncing the Congress-led government as a complete failure and a betrayal of the people of Telangana.
Meanwhile, Telangana BJP MLA Paidi Rakesh Reddy intensified pressure on Congress, accusing the party of selling fertilisers provided by the Centre to the black market.
(with inputs from ANI)
About the Author
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international…Read More
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international… Read More
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