A farmer in Telangana has died in a reported suicide in front of the Kalvasrirampur Tehisildar office (Mandal Revenue Officer). Police are investigating allegations of negligence by Revenue officials in the Peddapalli district of the state.
According to police, the farmer Mandala Rajareddy was distressed by alleged lack of action from Revenue Officials to address his concerns. Rajareddy had reportedly visited the Tehisildar office and pleaded with officials to transfer one acre and 20 guntas of land in Kistampet of Kalvasrirampur to his name. The land had allegedly been grabbed from him, a note left by him is reported to reveal.
In the note, reportedly recovered by police, the farmer is said to have alleged that a Village Revenue Officer had colluded with others and forged his signature to grab his land. He has also levelled allegations of irregularities in the transfer of his land.
Rajareddy hails from Reddypalli of Veenavanka in Karimnagar. Police were alerted to the incident and shifted him to Sultanabad Government Hospital, where he was declared dead.
The police have opened an investigation into the case. Speaking to TNM, Kalvasrirampur Sub-Inspector of Police (SI) said, "The body was shifted to Sultanabad hospital. We have collected a note and it is being examined. The farmer said he was worried about the land issue. We are yet to take the statement from the deceased’s family. A case will be registered accordingly."
This is not the first time that extreme steps have been taken within a government premises. In November 2019, a woman Tahisildar of Abdullapurmet of Rangareddy was killed in her office over alleged delay in processing a query for pattadar passbooks pertaining to a piece of land.
According to Rythu Swarajya Vedika (RSV), a farmers rights group based in Andhra and Telangana, in the last six months, Telangana has witnessed as many as 85 farmer suicides.
The Telangana government is mulling a new Revenue Act in the state to help solve land-related disputes.