Rama Temple Land Encroachers Assault Bhadradri Temple EO in Andhra Pradesh
Staff say AP police turned passive supporters of encroachers; police say not informed in advance
Nalgonda: Bhadrachalam temple executive officer L. Ramadevi was allegedly attacked by encroachers of the temple land at Purushothamapatnam in Yetapaka mandal in Alluri Sitaramaraju district of Andhra Pradesh. The Sree Seetha Ramachandra Swamy Devasthanam owns 890 acres of land at Purushothamapatnam.
When the temple officials failed to persuade the encroachers to vacate the temple land, the executive officer went to the place on Tuesday to persuade the encroachers to remove their structures. However, the land encroachers attacked her.
About 890 acres of the temple land went to Andhra Pradesh when seven mandals were transferred from Telangana to AP after the bifurcation of the state in 2014. Though the Andhra Pradesh High Court ordered the AP government to clear encroachments and restore the land to the temple, illegal constructions continued.
Though the AP police personnel were accompanying the official, they did not intervene when the executive officer was attacked, sources alleged. The temple staff, however, took her to safety and got admitted to a hospital for treatment.
In August 2024, the locals of Purushothamapatnam had tried to attack the executive officer when she tried to get them evicted.
When Deccan Chronicle reached out to Yetapaka Circle Inspector, M.K. Raju for a comment on the attack, he denied any attack on the executive officer.
According to the police official, some people have been staying in the area, including a woman who had lost her house in a fire accident.
Two days prior to the executive officer’s inspection, he said the woman had restarted construction of her house; however, no fresh construction is permitted on the land under the new regulations.
The inspector said the issue got aggravated when the executive officer (EO) tried to stop the construction work. “We were not informed in advance about the EO’s visit. When she tried to stop the construction, a crowd suddenly gathered at the location, leading to shouting and chaos. Amidst the commotion, the EO fainted due to noise and jostling by the crowd,” he said.
“I can confirm that there was no physical assault. The officer is currently stable, and we are yet to file a formal case,” Raju said, adding that the executive officer has submitted a formal complaint, and an FIR will be registered based on her statement.
