Hyderabad, March 10 – Police in Khammam, Telangana, detained Telangana Jagruti president K Kavitha on Tuesday, who had been on an indefinite fast since Monday night, demanding justice for families displaced from a land parcel in the town.
Police forcibly moved her to Hyderabad, but she continued the fast at the Telangana Jagruthi office.
She declared that she would continue the fast until justice is done to the affected families.
Kavitha alleged that several poor families were forcibly evicted by authorities in the Velugumatla area in Khammam without issuing any notice to them.
She said that the land from which the evicted families came was a 'Bhoodan' (land donated by others in the past).
Stating that it was not government land, she questioned the actions of the local authorities. The former MP told media persons that she would write a letter to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to bring the issue to his attention. She said that if necessary, they would approach the High Court.
She demanded that the District Collector give an assurance that the evicted families would be given 'pattas' (ownership documents) in the same land.
Kavitha had arrived in Khammam on Monday and staged a protest along with local leaders at the ZP Center. She also visited the affected families in Velugumatla and interacted with the victims. She stated that their pain and suffering were deeply disturbing.
Kavitha demanded that the government build new houses for the victims at the same location where their homes were demolished.
She said that the demolitions had taken place during a sensitive time when children were preparing for Intermediate and Class 10 examinations.
Police had detained Kavitha, BC SC ST JAC chairman Visharadhan Maharaj, and several Jagruti activists and shifted them to the Khammam Three Town police station.
After their release, Kavitha and others launched an indefinite fast at Ambedkar Bhavan, demanding justice for the victims.
"My indefinite hunger strike will persist until the displaced families of Velugumatla are allotted plots and sanctioned fully-built houses at the very locations from which they were forcefully evicted,” she posted on 'X'.