Cops stoned after BJP meet over tribal land turns violent

Hyderabad, Feb 7 (PTI): Three policemen were injured instone-pelting allegedly by BJP workers after a meetingorganised by it in support of tribals land issue turnedviolent in Suryapet district of Telangana on Sunday, policesaid.

A group of the party activists damaged a shed on adisputed land of 120 acres in Gurrampudi Thanda prompting thepolice to lathicharge, the police said.

The police said they were trying to control the crowd whenit resorted to violence.

When police stopped the workers, the law enforcers werepelted with stones.

This injured an official in the rank of DeputySuperintendent of Police (DSP), an inspector and a sub-inspector who were subsequently put under treatment, SuryapetDistrict Superintendent of Police R Bhaskaran told PTI overphone.

Alleging that the tribals' land was encroached upon, thestate BJP's Scheduled Tribes Morcha organised the meeting''Girijana Bharosa Yatra'' in which party's state unitpresident and Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar and othersenior leaders of the saffron outfit participated.

Sanjay Kumar alleged that several BJP workers and leaderswere injured in the lathicharge. He said the struggle for theland would be taken up in other parts of the state.

Condemning the lathicharge, he asked why the police wereprotecting the land in question that was encroached uponallegedly by TRS leaders.

According to the Superintendent of Police, the BJP hadbeen permitted under the condition that the meeting would beheld peacefully.

The violent situation was finally controlled and the policewere in the process of registering cases, the senior officialsaid adding: After taking legal opinion, action would takenagainst those involved in the violence.

The dispute was over the land which the tribals claimedwere theirs while another stakeholder bought it and wastrying to take possession of it.