Police identified former Kodangal MLA and BRS leader Patnam Narender Reddy as the mastermind behind the attack that occurred on 11 November.
Published Nov 14, 2024 | 1:27 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 14, 2024 | 1:27 PM
The Remand Report from the Jagacherla incident deems it a BRS conspiracy at the behest of KTR
The Telangana police have named BRS Working President KT Rama Rao (KTR) in the remand report dated Wednesday, 13 November, regarding the attack against the Vikarabad District Collector and other officials. He has, however, not been named as an accused in the case so far.
They have also identified former Kodangal MLA and BRS leader Patnam Narender Reddy as the mastermind behind the attack that occurred on 11 November.
The remand report stated that Narender Reddy coordinated with local leaders of the BRS to brainwash the villagers and conspired in the attack following ‘directions from KTR’ — MLA of Sircilla.
Police also noted that some of the arrested accused were unrelated to the protest, adding that either they didn’t own land in the area or were unaffected by the acquisition.
On 11 November, violence broke out in Jagacherla of Dudyal Mandal, within Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s Kodangal constituency of the Vikarabad district. Villagers from Dudyal, Jagalcherla, RB Tanda, Pulicherlakunta, and Pochepally decided to boycott a public hearing regarding the land acquisition for Telangana’s pharma village initiative.
When the district collector arrived at the village, without police protection, to negotiate with the farmers, he was met with “go back” slogans. Shortly, the mob started cornering the collector and accompanying officers, with some people using sticks to attack them.
Even as the officials left in their cars, the protestors pelted stones at the vehicles, damaging the windows.
Subsequently, at about 1.30 am on 12 November, the police showed up in the villages, detaining about 57 people. While they let go of many of them after questioning, 21 people, identified as the accused, were remanded.
On 13 November, Narender Reddy was also arrested in connection with the case.
In a remand report filed by the Bomraspet Police Station, the police noted that the scuffle was a case of “attempt to murder by assaulting public servants with criminal conspiracy”.
The report stated the perpetrators intended to kill the Additional Collector Lingya Naik and Kodangal Area Development Authority (KADA) Special Officer Venkat Reddy. Both officers suffered injuries following the incident.
The report also explained that the “brainwashed” protestors were readily armed with sticks, stones and chilli powder, intended to kill the officials.
At the same time, the report established that Narender Reddy masterminded the violent confrontation at Jagacherla. It stated that Narender Reddy brainwashed the villagers coaxing them towards violence, through Bogamoni Suresh, a local BRS youth leader.
The report stated that multiple confessions from the accused pointed towards a criminal conspiracy headed by Narender Reddy. According to the report, Narender Reddy confessed to heading the conspiracy following his arrest on 13 November.
Furthermore, the report revealed that Narender Reddy confessed to orchestrating the incident at the behest of KTR and other senior BRS leaders.
The remand report also revealed numerous phone calls between Bogamoni Suresh and Patnam Narender Reddy, which pointed to a conspiracy.
It is to be noted that Inspector General of Police (IGP) V Satyanarayana made similar statements on 12 November, when he stated that the attack was instigated by the BRS.
Speaking to the press alongside Vikarabad Superintendent of Police (SP) Narayana Reddy, Satyanarayana stated that they identified 47 accused through photographic evidence and witness testimonies.
“We’ve remanded 21 people till now, 16 on 12 November, and five on 13 November,” he told reporters on 13 November.
“Four teams are trying to nab the remaining accused, including Bogamoni Suresh,” he added. “Among the identified accused, 19 members aren’t losing any land due to the project,” he stated.
He added that they didn’t own any land at all or their land wasn’t notified for acquisition. “The attackers came without having any connection to the protest,” he further explained.
Satyanarayana added that Bogamoni Suresh trapped the collector and other officials by convincing them to come to the village without any security.
“The villagers needn’t be anxious, the main accused have absconded. They don’t need to leave their houses out of fear,” he reassured. He stated that a detailed investigation was underway.
The remand report detailed that the accused individuals were chargeable under:
Speaking at a press conference on 13 November, KTR questioned what was wrong for two local leaders to talk to each other.
“Suresh didn’t trap the Collector, he asked him why there was a meeting when all other farmers were protesting,” he revealed.
“You came to power by asking questions, didn’t you? Then why is it wrong to question you?” KTR questioned.
He asked if there was any evidence that Suresh attacked the officials or that Narender Reddy organised the attack, deeming call records insufficient.
“The police kidnapped Narender Reddy in mufti clothes like he was a terrorist,” he said.
“We will fight this injustice in the courts and expose Revanth Reddy’s atrocities in Kodangal,” he continued. He also called for the immediate release of the remanded individuals, calling for a medical examination to check if they were assaulted in custody.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil)
