Published Feb 28, 2026 | 2:41 PM ⚊ Updated Feb 28, 2026 | 2:41 PM
Demolitions in Khammam. (South First)
Synopsis: The Congress administration in Telangana has come under fire after municipal authorities in Khammam demolished houses on Bhoodan land in Velugumatla village, leaving over 600 families without shelter in the early hours of 25 February. Officials justified the bulldozer action, carried out under a heavy police presence, as necessary to reclaim public land, but residents alleged it was conducted in the middle of the night without notice and ignored valid pattas they have held for over a decade.
Municipal authorities in Khammam, Telangana, demolished houses across about 30 acres of Bhoodan land in Velugumatla village in the early hours of Wednesday, 25 February, leaving over 600 families without shelter.
Officials from the Revenue Department and the Telangana Bhoodan Yagna Board defended the action, citing a 17 January eviction order, saying the Bhoodan land—historically allotted to landless poor families during the Vinoba Bhave movement—was under illegal occupation.
They said the land was public property and that reclaiming it was necessary to prevent encroachments that worsen flooding. The demolitions covered Vinoba Navodaya Colony and nearby areas. Bulldozers, backed by a heavy police presence, razed houses.
Residents and political leaders, however, described the operation as “brutal and inhumane”. The demolitions triggered protests and political finger-pointing, with allegations that vested real estate interests were the real reason behind the action.
Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy defended the bulldozer action, maintaining that the process began under the previous BRS government in July 2023, which promised but failed to build houses for those affected.
Residents, meanwhile, said the evictions were carried out in the middle of the night without adequate notice.
Many families, migrants from remote parts of Khammam who settled in Velugumatla a decade ago, said they hold valid pattas issued in 2014.
They said they had also been issued house numbers by previous administrations, which built cement concrete roads and provided water and electricity connections.
“Our homes were bulldozed like we were enemies,” one displaced woman said in a viral video, holding back tears amid the rubble.
Children and elderly people were reportedly dragged out and belongings scattered. Some alleged police brutality against women protesters who blocked highways.
Anger turned towards Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and local ministers Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, Thummala Nageswara Rao and Bhatti Vikramarka, with some residents calling the demolitions “punishment” for supporting the Congress in elections.
BRS Working President KT Rama Rao visited the site on Thursday, consoled victims and pledged to take the legal battle to the Supreme Court.
He said the demolition was akin to “Palestine-like atrocities”, accused the government of “anarchic rule”, and said it had demolished the homes of disabled people elsewhere, including in Mahabubnagar.
KTR promised the BRS would rebuild the houses if it regains power. He also questioned the deployment of 4,000 police personnel, saying it served vested real estate interests near the proposed Nagpur–Amaravati highway.
The BJP, CPI, CPI(M) and UCCRI(ML) also demanded compensation, restoration of land and alternative housing.
